In the summer, the tiny public beach is uncomfortably crowded, so I usually arrive in the afternoon to take advantage of the half-day discount at beach clubs that charge for use of their colorful umbrellas and sun beds.
But in the off-season, access to the entire beach is free, so I sauntered onto the sand and watched a handful of Italian teenagers splashing in the huge waves. Not feeling quite that adventurous, I headed up a hill in town to the Convento dei Cappuccini, where tucked inside a small chapel I found a museum-worthy Crucifixion painting attributed to the Flemish artist Anthony Van Dyck. Instead of taking the typical route of a seafood feast at a waterfront restaurant, which could easily cost more than 50 euros and zap most of my budget, I headed to Focacceria Il Frantoio, where I bought a huge, warm rectangle of focaccia al formaggio 2.
But after seeing a line of customers all ordering pan fritto, puffy fried bread stuffed with cheese 1. At aperitivo hour, I sipped a glass of Cinque Terre white wine 3 euros at Midi Bar, where various graying locals paused from their passeggiate — leisurely promenades — to greet other patrons. For dinner, I headed to Gastronomia San Martino, a no-frills deli that sells both pre-made dishes by the kilo and cooked-to-order pastas. The filling meal, including a half-bottle of local white wine, cost a mere 11 euros. The company of Mr.
Galati, who chatted with me while I ate, served as free entertainment. I peeked into the 14th-century Church of San Pietro, with its handsome Gothic-Ligurian architecture; even prettier were the coastal views from the Santa Maria Terrace. I stopped for lunch at Km0, an adorable cafe serving carefully sourced regional products, from Ligurian anchovies to vegetables grown in the village.
I had a delicious panino with prosciutto and creamy caprino goat cheese on whole-grain bread, plus a half-liter bottle of summer ale from the La Spezia brewery Birrificio del Golfo total: Then, under gray skies, I began hiking the high-altitude trail from Corniglia to Manarola. Lightning and thunder began to crackle, but I eventually escaped to the hilltop hamlet of Volastra, and from there, descended through terraced vineyards into Manarola. I ordered the calamari 5 euros , which also came with a few fried mussels and crispy shrimp, before heading back to Vernazza.
When I alighted in Vernazza, the town was eerily dark. Shops and restaurants were closed. Streetlights were out. Boats had been pulled out of the harbor into the main piazza, and flood barriers had been installed in almost every doorway.
The sudden storm had triggered a severe weather alert, and after the devastating floods of , no chances were being taken. There would be no night life. On Sunday morning, though, I awoke to glorious sunshine. Back in Vernazza, shops were reopening and restaurants preparing for lunch as I climbed up to the Castello admission, 1. Then, with There was no question where I would go: Trattoria Gianni Franzi is my favorite of the restaurants clustered around the harbor, and the spaghetti ai muscoli, with fresh mussels from the Gulf of La Spezia and a simple sauce of olive oil, garlic and herbs, is my go-to order.
With the cover charge, a bottle of fizzy water and a glass of white wine, lunch was a very worthwhile 22 euros. For dessert, I walked along the harbor to Il Porticciolo, an artisanal gelateria where seasonal flavors are made fresh daily.
Cinque Terre, Italy
On a bench outside, I savored this sweet coda to an eventful — and under-budget — weekend in the Cinque Terre. Travel The Cinque Terre on a Budget. Log In. This was the real Italy, and I was soaking up every minute of it. The unique experience of exploring the villages on foot, rather than skipping on to the next, is SO worth it.
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Each offers some unique views and great photo opportunities. They have a certain medieval feel with beautiful, colored homes stacked up on top of each other, and narrow streets lined with an almost overwhelming amount of shops and cute little restaurants. It took my wife and I the better part of the day to make it from one end to the other with all of our stops for food, drinks and photos along the way.
We also decided to dip in the water at Riomaggiore to cool off after a long day of hiking.
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Instead of making a round trip by foot, we took a late train back to Monterosso after watching the sunset. Another option to turn the Cinque Terre into a full, relaxing vacation is to hike to one village each day and stay there for a night before progressing onto the next. Panoramic view from high above the sea, nearing Riomaggiore. Adam is a curious individual who spent a semester in Spain and came home with a very strong case of an incurable strain of the travel bug. He has become a budget traveling aficionado who is always on the lookout for the next great deal, which is nothing more than an excuse to pack his bags again and explore this fascinating planet.
Adam spends his non-traveling time working as a case manager, photographer and freelance blogger, and enjoys sports and film. The Flight Deal does not sell travel products or services. The information posted by The Flight Deal is valid at the time of publication.
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Cinque Terre on a Budget
Please see their sites for their most up-to-date offer information and all applicable terms and conditions. Sign up to receive The Flight Deal Daily DealsLetter, to stay up to date with the latest and greatest flight deals available. Or just rent a car and drive down into Monterosso….. I drive down into it every summer as we have a home in Lucca. When we visited a few years ago, we found taking the train from Milan very convenient.
Booking early, the discounted fare was 9 euros each way for a person back in Our experiences of the other trails were mostly among the trees with only visas here and there, though they were quiet isolated. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Share this Stay Informed on the Latest Deals. By The Flight Deal. You might also like. Comments 2 Brandi 3 years ago — Reply. John 2 years ago — Reply.