Vernazza
vernazza is town #4. to see my travels of the first two,
So, Vernazzzza. At first I was not a fan. Meaning, I preferred Manarola and Monterosso much much more. That was two years ago - now, I have obviously matured and come to my senses. I can see what all of the Vernazza hype is about! First off, not to get all Rick Steves, but Vernazza is actually, like, Rick Steves'
favorite place ever.
Right, Rick? Maybe it's the food, but man, the scenery sure is lovely. The harbor is especially delightful, with all of the pretty little boats bobbing in the soft waves. One of my highlights was splurging a grand total of 1,00 euro on a calamari kabob - how could I not? It was probably swimming somewhere in the Ligurian Sea a few hours before, I could feel the freshness with that first bite (seafood kind of has that characteristic bounce back when you first chomp down, doesn't it?).
Perhaps my favorite part of the day was climbing along the terraces with S and seeing Vernazza from the path-less-traveled. That's how I snapped photo number one, from a more "aerial" angle, head on with the old fortress and belltower. All of the beautiful summery colors of Vernazza just makes me happy. That and the idea of having some sort of pesto dish here. Because this is where pesto was born! Maybe next time I will be willing to sit down at one of the perfectly charming little ristorantes in the harbor, and indulge in some seafood and/or pesto. For now, I am perfectly content with admiring how the linens billow in the wind on the clotheslines, or marveling at the sun-washed-yet-oh-so-saturated colors of the town.
ciaoo! xo