Day 12 - Florence - Vernazza

            Our first stop this morning was the Medici Chapel, only minutes from our hotel.  We had already passed this building several times in the past couple of days.   We especially enjoyed the carvings of dawn and dusk by Michelangelo.  Then we went to the Bargello Museum, which was first an old fortress and then the civic center of Florence.  It houses statues and artifacts, among which are famous statues from Michelangelo and Donatello.

Michelangelo's Dawn and Dusk

Bargello Courtyard

Dontallo's David

            We gave ourselves a few minutes longer to shop and linger in Florence and Eric and I returned to the Mercato Centrale to get our prosciutto sandwich. 

At 1:00 we met at the hotel and headed out of town.  I’m sure our group looked a bit funny as we rolled our suitcases down the street to the main train station.  We’ve been lucky enough that in every place we’ve stayed we can walk from the train station to our hotel.  Walking is the best way to get around these Italian cities.  We took a longish ride to La Spezia on our way to Vernazza.  In La Spezia, I’m ashamed to admit, we had McDonalds for an afternoon snack. 

            We finally arrived in Vernazza around 6:00.  This is a 1 stop, 1 street, coastal down on the hills falling into the Mediterranean.  Our guidebook said that’s is easiest to just find a room to rent when you arrive in town.  What the guidebook didn’t say was that finding 4 rooms is a bit trickier and that one should arrive before 6:00 p.m.  Needless to say it was a scramble to find 4 rooms. 

Leaning out the window of the Real Estate Office trying to find rooms

Our first night in Vernazza

Lara started at the top of town talking to store owners and such working her way down to the end of town.  By the time she headed back up the street the store-owners were helping her look as well.  People were coming out of the woodwork and letting her know that their friend might have a room.  With the help of Francesa, the owner of the Gelateria, and a local travel agency she managed to get 3 rooms for 2 nights and then another 2 rooms for us for the 2 nights.  We would have to switch.  It was a bit of a panic, but something we laughed about the next day.

            We managed to get in a quick walk to the top of the city over looking the ocean.  The lights, in combination with the colors of the buildings, were amazing and just like a postcard.  Our dinner that night was an adventure that proved to be really good.  The specialty of the area is anchovies, which ended up being really tasty and milder than one would think.  We also had a seafood risotto that was really good.

            Our room for the night was a small room, tucked away up a narrow ally, that’s more like a walkway than a street.  You walked right into the 1 bedroom area directly from the alley.  It was quaint and fun.

We got the perfect night lighting for these pictures.