After I bought us more brioche and coffee for breakfast, we got dressed and packed for a day in the sun. We set out first for the train station to ensure we bought the right tickets and knew the right departure time for our trip to Milan. Our tickets only got us to Monterosso, unfortunately; we’d have to buy transfer tickets from there to Milano Centrale once we arrived tomorrow.
Ignoring this potential pitfall for the moment, we walked into town to find our hosts to settle up. We paid and also borrowed a couple beach towels so we could lay out on the boulders comfortably.
ABOVE: The boulder-strewn jetty that protects the Vernazza harbor & offers great sunbathing.
The only landmark in Vernazza that we hadn’t yet explored was the Castello Doria, otherwise known as “that tall stone lookout tower at the highest point of the village overlooking the ocean.”
ABOVE: Regal masonry.
When my friends and I toured Vernazza back in 2003, we could venture into the Castello unimpeded (and I’ve already mentioned how tourism affected hiking prices in Cinque Terre). Now entry to the Castello cost 3€ apiece, or $4.50 for access to a cottage-sized platform with a 30-step tower on top of it.
ABOVE: The village of Vernazza, viewed from the Castello.
Regardless, the view afforded us lovely bird’s eye views of our village, and we could see Monterosso to the northwest as well as maybe Manarola and a tip of Riomaggiore to the south.
ABOVE: Over our shoulders is the coastline south of us, where Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore sit.
The tower had a cool medieval looking spiral staircase within it, but my attempts at artsy dark staircase photography proved fruitless.
ABOVE: Stair photo fail.
After concluding our day’s exploration, we descended the Castello Doria, found a big flat boulder along the jetty, and made camp. The day was very hot and sunny, so we frequently dipped our legs in the water or dove into the ocean for a swim. Cooling off made it far easier to lay out, enjoy the vitamin D and people-watching, as well as read or catnap.
ABOVE: Annie & the Ligurian Sea
When hunger arose I waddled my lazy butt into town for some focaccia sandwiches and beer for lunch, but otherwise we merely lazed away the afternoon. When we tired of the view from our spot, we moved around the corner of the seawall and discovered some young folks cliff jumping. The bolder they leapt from was 25-30 feet up, and looked fun, so I joined in.
ABOVE: Prep for takeoff.
As dusk neared, we walked home for showers, changed clothes, and returned to our favorite dinner spot of the three we’d tried in Vernazza. For our last night in Cinque Terre, we ate a marinated mussels appetizer (delicious, but the mussels were smaller than those we enjoyed in Greece), with prawn macaroni as Annie’s entrée and a mixed fried seafood dish for me. Annie’s food again bested mine in quality, but oh well.
Our final night concluded as many had before it: gelato for Annie, beer for me, and music in the street. A female tourist duo entertained a small crowd with some acoustic numbers, so we listened for a while, offered our euro donation to their cause, then meandered home through the quiet streets of Vernazza for our final night’s sleep in the gorgeous Cinque Terre.
July 31 Vernazza Album:
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| Vernazza: July 31, 2011 |
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