ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1262

phone call to explain when you're coming. Emanuele (Gianni's son, who now runs the
restaurant), Simona, and the staff speak a little English (S-€45, D-€80, Db-€100-120, Tb-
€120-140, for best prices pay cash and mention this topic when you reserve, cancellations
less than a week in advance are charged one night'sdeposit, closed Jan-Feb, Piazza Marconi
5, tel. [phone], tel. [phone], on Wed call mobile [phone] instead,
www.giannifranzi.it , [e-mail] ) .PickupyourkeysatTrattoriaGianni'srestaurant
on the harbor square.
$$AlbergoBarbara rentsninesimple,clean,andmodernroomsoverlookingtheharbor
square—most with small windows and small views. It's run by English-speaking Giuseppe
and his no-nonsense Swiss wife, Patricia (D-€55, Db-€65-70, big Db with nice harbor view-
€110, extra bed-€10, 2-night stay preferred, closed Dec-Feb, reserve online with credit card
but pay cash, free Wi-Fi, Piazza Marconi 30, tel. [phone], mobile [phone],
www.albergobarbara.it , [e-mail] ) .
Private Rooms (Afitta Camere)
Vernazza is honeycombed with private rooms year-round, offering the best values in town.
Owners may be reluctant to reserve rooms far in advance. Doubles cost €55-100, depending
ontheview,season,andplumbing—yougetwhatyoupayfor.Mostplacesacceptonlycash.
Some have killer views, come with lots of stairs, and cost the same as a small, dark place on
a back lane over the train tracks. Little English is spoken at many of these places. If you call
aheadtoletthemknowyourarrivaltime(orcallwhenyouarrive,usingyourmobilephone),
they'll meet you at the train station.
Note: Many of the places listed next were not yet open during my last visit to
Vernazza—butthey'lllikelybereadyintimeforyourvisit.Contactthosethatinterestyouto
see if they're taking guests. A helpful source of information is Save Vernazza, which began
as a post-flood relief organization but has now evolved into an all-purpose Vernazza advo-
cacygroup,withinfoonlocalroomsandapartmentsforrent(checktheirwebsitefordetails:
www.savevernazza.com ).
Well-Run Rooms in the Inland Part of Town
Some of my favorite places in town, located in the ravine above the train station, were hard-
est hit by the flood. Exactly how and when they will reopen is hard to say, but if they're
open, they're well worth considering. For the latest, visit their websites or inquire via Save
Vernazza. These rooms are located on the Vernazza map, earlier in this chapter.
$$$ Tonino Basso 's four rooms, which come with tranquility but no views, will likely
be run by Alessandra ( www.toninobasso.com ).