Vernazza: Paradise

Why, why, WHY did I come to Vernazza alone (with Steve and Carrie)? Yeah, I have no clue.

Note to self: next time I go to Vernazza, remember to bring a) a date, b) girlfriend, c) wife, d) all of the above. Shoot, I forgot d) concubine & e) mistress. Doesn’t matter. I’m bringing SOMEONE next time, dammit.

Vernazza, for those of you paying attention, is in the Cinque Terra, and it has to be in the top-5 most romantic places in our half of the universe. It’s a coastal, ancient town with quaint views, trails, shops and cafes. I had four of the best paninis of all time there. I had two paninis for breakfast each day. When I return to Italy, I will be spending a heap of time in the five Cinque Terra villages, and I will be porking out with more panini. If I’m going to get tubby, I may as well enjoy myself.

I forget the name of the panini shop in Vernazza I frequented, but it was just to the left when you exit the main square if you’re heading for the train stop. I had plain paninis and cherry-tomato-covered paninis, and for some reason I can’t stop writing about them. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Now wake up and look at this! The best picture I could find of Vernazza. This view is from the north side, as far as my directionally challenged mind can tell, and it looks like an early morning shot. After dinner/drinks both nights, I hung out on the rocks you see on the northwest side listening to the ocean. It was totally friggin’ relaxing. We stayed in the hotel with all the boats lined up in front of it, and our rooms were on the top floor.

I love Vernazza more than any place I’ve ever been. I can’t recommend it strongly enough.