Cinque Terre

Access to wireless is not easy once you leave the bigger cities it seems. Only an occasional bar/coffee shop offers free wireless, but we are glad that Nunzio has seen fit to offer us this service. The only free wireless in Corniglia.
The trip from Milan to Genova was interesting. I was booked on coach 9, seat 62 which was OK except that the train only had 8 coaches. The conductor ushered me onto the 8th coach and said everything would be OK. He then allocated me another seat which was also occupied. Most of the next hour was taken up with much chatter, gesticulation and head shaking before we were all seated and satisfied. It seemed important to the conductor that we sit in a seat he had allocated, not just any seat! Italian precision I expect had a lot to do with that. Anyway, we arrived 15 minutes late in Genoa which didn't seem to bother the conductor. I wasn't in a hurry, so wasn't bothered either.

The plan for meeting Scott in Genoa was to SMS him and arranged a place to meet. That was a good plan but didn't allow for Scott's charger being on the blink and his phone being flat. We did eventually find each other and had a quick but great lunch at Trieste Ristorante before getting on the train to La Spezia - we had to get off in Monterossa and then take the local train to Corniglia. Arriving in Corniglia we found the station at sea level virtually and our B&B at about 3000 foot above sea level. There are steps and a winding road which we preferred. Much sweating later we reached Affitacamere Antonio Vernazzani. The room has a view of the sea and is totally adequate. We spent the afternoon swimming in the beautifully cool and clear Mediterranean sea. Sheer pleasure!

With my current form for choosing bad restaurants I decided to take Scott's lead when choosing a place for supper. The choice of places to eat in Corniglia is vast, but we chose Ristorante Camere a la Cecio and ate Risotto a la Elia - risotto made from Corniglia rice with calamari and gamberetti. A truly delightful meal served on the veranda of Ristorante Camere a la Cecio overlooking the sea was, I think, satisfactory compensation for the disappointments in Milan.

After finishing this post and another cup or 2 of coffee we intend to head to Manarola where Scott has heard of a really superb restaurant from friends in Finland. More later.
- Posted by Neil

Location:Bar Nunzio, Corniglia