Left Genoa at lunchtime on our train to Vernazza. The track ran right along the coastline, but we spent most of the time in tunnels, so only got snatches of towns and sea views. A lot of the towns seem to be built on hillsides.
The regional train we had to catch from La Spezia to Vernazza we thought we had pretty much to ourselves. That was until the first stop, Riomaggiore. My god, we went from hardly anyone to just about overloaded. A lot got off at the second stop, Manarola, but just as many replaced them. Obviously Cinque Terre is popular with tourists! Arrived at our accommodation (thanks Cayte) where we were greeted by our host, Rosa, with a big smile.
Wandered around the village in the afternoon - it's very hard to get lost, there's only one street and it leads from the train station! Laneways lead to the terraced houses. Had wonderful views of the township and the adjoining towns of Corniglia and Monterosso from the Castle of Vernazza, now called the Doria Castle. The village is only small, but in the 11th century was an important naval base. There is so much history of piracy and attacks by enemies and we were both absorbed.
Dinner tonight at a local restaurant where we were talked into the fish of the day, flounder. Well, when they put a table down behind us we knew we were in for a novel treat. Our waiter dissected a whole flounder and served it on our plates with vegetables, but wait there's more. Another plate of scampi and prawns were added and our feast was complete. Talk about the centre of attention! And yes, it was really good.
