Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Vernazza sure is pretty—and even more so when you're eyeing the spread on
Gambero's classy white-starched tablecloths lit with candles. The staff is a tad
irritating—a request for olive oil and balsamic (to accompany the bread) is often
met with an upturned nose, which is cheeky, given that the
coperto
(service
charge) is
3, the highest in the village. But Gambero's food more than makes up
for this. Light and fragrant
primi
(average
€
9.50; average
secondo
€
11) are clearly
made fresh to order. It's hardly surprising that Gambero Rosso earned two stars in
the highly respected
Ristorante di Veronelli 2005.
€
€€
Almost next to Gambero is Vernazza's oldest trattoria, owned by main man
Gianni Fanzi
(
%
0187-821003).
With service tipped in its favor and meals
coming in slightly cheaper (average
primo
5
2.50), it's the best din-
ing option in the village. And if you're tiring of the usual variations of seafood
pasta, Gianni does a mean veal roast for a mere
€
8.50;
coperto
€
€
7.50.
(
%
0187-812296).
Named after the castle (whose entrance is a few steps higher) where guards kept a
look out for marauding pirates, this is a great luncheon refuge from the crowded
streets below, and at dinnertime, when the lights start to twinkle below, you'll feel
as if you're floating. It's the same menu you'll see everywhere—with
primi
rang-
ing between
55
You might want to climb the stairs to
Al Castello
€€
€
8 and
€
10, and
coperto
coming in at
€
2—but the seafood is good
and fresh, and the view is certainly worth the climb.
Hotels & Restaurants in Monterosso
With Monterosso awash in three-star lodgings falling in the
150 cate-
gory, and most of the one- and two-star hotel options offering very poor value,
this is not a good base for budget hunters. But it will suit those wanting more
hotel-like facilities, or a beach holiday.
€
100-to-
€
€€
Well-situated on the beachfront, but with no frills whatsoever, is the one-
star
Agavi
(Via Fegina, 30;
%
0187-817171; hotel.agavi@libero.it),
a stone's
throw east of the station on Via Fegina; a sea-facing room here costs between
€
70
and
€
100.
€€
Villa Pietrafiore
(Località Pietrafiore;
%
0187-817311)
is a long walk
from the train station (don't do this with heavy luggage), but has a wonderful
location above the town, with sea-view rooms going for
€
60 to
€
90.
€€
-
€€€
With its room prices ranging from
€
90 to
€
117,
La Colonnina
(Via
Zucca, 6;
%
0187-817439; www.lacolonninacinqueterre.it),
hidden behind a
lovely, leafy entrance, is reasonable but also bland and sterile—only book here if
all else fails (and do try for one of their four double rooms that open onto a gar-
den terrace). Like other places around here, it fills up months in advance.
The best beachfront options are
Hotel Baia
(Lungo Mare Fegina, 88;
%
0187-817512; www.baiahotel.it)
or neighboring
La Spiaggia
(Via Lungo Mare,
98;
%
0187-817567; www.laspiaggiahotel.com),
both on Lungomare Fegina, the
beachfront road that leads to ugly Fegina. If you get a sea-facing room at either of
€€€
