One of the first restaurants you come across walking downhill from the Vernazza train station into the main hub is Trattoria da Sandro. It's always the rule that you don't walk into the first restaurant you come across, especially on the main road. But after wandering around the town, it seemed as safe a place to eat as any and we happily settled on the wooden platform out the front, and watched the world walk by.
- Spaghetti seafood;
- Baked potatoes topped with anchovies & tomato.
Despite the high tourist traffic through Cinque Terre, it was surprisingly difficult to find many places recommended online. It could be because most people (especially tourists who use English websites) stay in the much bigger town of Monterosso. Or perhaps Cinque Terre is still relatively unspoilt enough such that anywhere is fine.
Da Piva had some appeal in being off the central road in Vernazza. I had read mixed reviews online but the seafood risotto had been mentioned a few times as worth getting. I'm glad I tried it.
- Grilled octopus;
- Seafood risotto - this delicious pot held a nice array of seafood in a much wetter than typical risotto. It was much more of a seafood stew with rice, and a great one at that. I wish I could have finished it but it was too large;
- Spaghetti seafood.
Italy and gelato. There aren't many other things to trawl through place after place in Italy. Everywhere you read online will point you in directions of favourites and the reality is all of the ones I visited are good, because they generally have to be;
If in doubt, look for somewhere that states Gelato Artigianale which translates to homemade gelato. Some say those in metal tins with closed lids are more authentic and retain flavour longer also. But with the quality and turnover, I don't think it makes too much difference.
My benchmark is pistachio flavour and generally the murkier green or lighter brown, the better. I tried pistachio nearly everywhere which ranged from light to intense, sweet to nutty. Each was slightly different and I can't say I didn't like any of them. There were no hints of ice or crystals. However trying to pick my favourite of the lot is indeed difficult. I think one of the best was in Vernazza - considering the location in the middle of a plaza, it was a pleasant surprise - check the light brown pistachio on the right of the photo.
- Gelato Passione (Rome) - great pistachio and tiramisu
- Fior di Luna (Rome) - no photo
- Giolitti (Rome) - known mainly for creamy flavours, but melon was very good
- Ciampini (Rome)
- Carabe (Florence)
- Gelateria Perche No! (Florence)
- La Carraia (Florence)
- Antica Gelateria Fiorentina (Florence)
- Slurp! (Monterosso, Cinque Terre)
- Gelateria Artigianale Vernazza (Vernazza, Cinque Terre)
I hit all these gelato places around Italy within 6 days. My list was still longer. Here's the ones I didn't make: Gelateria dei Neri, Vivoli, Gelateria Santa Trinita, Grom (all in Florence), Gelateria Il Porticciolo (Vernazza).
I flew to Turin (Fiorio) as the airport stopover to the white truffle festival. I had an extremely creamy version in Alba (Darios), where after I tried their delicious gelato pistachio and nocciola, the shopowner made me come back on the day it was made fresh. The texture was smooth and untouchable.