ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1246

$Ostello5-Terre, Manarola'smodernandpleasanthostel,occupiestheformerparochial
school above the church square and offers 48 beds in four- to six-bed rooms. Nicola and
Riccardo run a calm and peaceful place—it's not a party hostel—and quiet is greatly appre-
ciated. They rent dorm rooms as doubles. Reserve well in advance. Full means full—they
don'taccommodatethedesperateonthefloor(Easter-mid-Oct:dormbeds-€23,Db-€65,Qb-
€100; less off-season, normally closed Dec-Feb but can open on demand, not co-ed except
for couples and families, no membership necessary, open to all ages, optional €5 breakfast
and bargain dinners, office closed 13:00-16:00, rooms closed 10:00-13:00, check-in until
22:00, elevator, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, safe, laundry, book exchange, Via B. Ricco-
baldi 21, tel. [phone], www.hostel5terre.com , [e-mail] ) .
For Drivers: $$$ Hotel il Saraceno, with seven spacious, modern rooms, is a deal for
drivers.LocatedaboveManarolainthetinytownofVolastra(chock-fullofvacationingGer-
mans and Italians in summer), it's serene, clean, and right by the shuttle bus to Manarola
(Db-€100, buffet breakfast, Wi-Fi, free parking, Via Volastra 8, tel. [phone],
www.thesaraceno.com , [e-mail] , friendly Antonella).
Eating in Manarola
Many hardworking places line the main drag. The Scorza family works hard at Trattoria il
Porticciolo (free glass of sciacchetrà dessert wine with this topic, closed Wed, below train
tracksatViaR.Birolli92,tel.[phone]).Theharborside MarinaPiccola isfamousfor
great views, lousy service, and gouging naive tourists.
Trattoria dal Billy, hiding out high on the hill, is a hit, with good food and impressive
views over the valley. With Edoardo and Enrico's black pasta with seafood and squid ink,
green pasta with artichokes, mixed seafood starters, and homemade desserts, many find it
worth the climb. Dinner reservations are a must (€11 pastas, €14 secondi, generally daily
8:00-15:00 & 19:00-23:30, closed Thu, Via Aldo Rollandi 122, tel. [phone]).
Corniglia (Town #3)
This is the quiet town—the only one of the five not on the water—with a mellow main
square.Accordingtoa(likelyfanciful)locallegend,thetownwasoriginallysettledbyaRo-
manfarmerwhonameditforhismother,Cornelia (howCorniglia ispronounced).Thetown
and its ancient residents produced a wine so famous that—some say—vases found at Pom-
peii touted its virtues. Regardless of the veracity of the legends, wine remains Corniglia's
lifeblood today. Follow the pungent smell of ripe grapes into an alley cellar and get a local
to let you dip a straw into a keg.