Vernazza - Wednesday, April 29

It was overcast when we arrived in Vernazza yesterday midday. However, today we awoke to sunshine and very mild temperatures. Breakfast is served on the same terrace as our wine tasting last evening, the Mediterranean looking particularly aqua green this morning. We were told that the boat connecting the Cinque Terre villages would not be able to dock today as there were swells in the ocean. We had the choice of tearing from village to village by train or staying here and enjoying Vernazza which has been termed the "jewel of the Cinque Terre" We chose the latter and spent most of this morning at the Castello Doria which gave us beautiful views of the town, the coastline, the ocean, and the terrace of our own little room at the Gianni Franzi Hotel. We had our main meal of the day around 2 PM this afternoon at Ristorante Belforte, an amazing eatery perched on top of a rocky cliff jutting into the ocean. There we are the best risotto ever (see picture) followed by sea bass baked in sea salt. When the waiter presented the whole fish before cutting it up for us, it looked like a fish buried in a mound of ice pellets. Unfortunately, he whisked it away before I had a chance to snap a photo. This was the sea salt. The fish reappeared as shown and was served with a delicate olive oil with a touch of oregano. This meal left us very full and in need of some exercise so we found the pathway to the cemetery high above the town and a perfect lookout for views of Vernazza and the surrounding terraced vineyards. We found ourselves at a higher elevation than the hiking trail that comes in from the neighbouring town so we felt very pleased with our success inlocating the best view in Vernazza. After our descent along a very steep path followed by a short detour under a rocky arch opening to a beach, we enjoyed a spritz in the town square and watched the local men haul one of their boats out of the water.