Rick Steves Italy 2015

This funky wine-and-grappa bar is still run by Oreste (with his Chicagoan wife, Beverly) like a 1970s, old-style enoteca. Browse and sample and clown around with Oreste. This historic enoteca was once the private chapel of the archbishop of Verona. Traces of the past hide between the bottles—ask Beverly to tell you the story (light food, Tue-Sun 8:

Ristorante Belvedere, big and sprawling, is the place for a good-value meal indoors or outdoors on the harborfront. Their anfora belvedere—mixed seafood stew dumped dramatically at the table from a pottery amphora into your bowl—is huge, and can easily be split among up to four diners (€48). Share with your group and add pasta for a fine meal. Muss

$$$ Alessandra runs two different sets of rooms in a single elevator-equipped, modern building: La Perla delle 5Terre (6 clean, sleek rooms with modern style but no air-con, Db-€100, Tb-€120) and Tonino Basso (4 rooms decorated with big colorful cutouts, Db-€120, Tb-€140, air-con, loaner laptop in each room). This is the top choice in town for mode

pad. Four pristine white rooms boast fancy-hotel-type extras and a common terrace looking out over the rocky shore. It’s a climb—way, way up to the top of town—but they’ll gladly carry your bags to and from the station (Db-€160, Db suite-€220, includes breakfast at a bar, air-con, Wi-Fi, mobile 334-287-5718, www.lamala.it, info@lamala.it, charming

One option—particularly if the Manarola-Corniglia trail is closed (and, if you’re into serious hikes, even if it isn’t)—is the hike from Manarola up to the village of Volastra, then north through high-altitude vineyard terraces, and steeply down through a forest to Corniglia (about six miles total). You can shave the two steepest miles off this rou

Vernazza’s skimpy business community is augmented Tuesday mornings (8:00-13:00), when a meager gang of cars and trucks pulls into town for a tailgate market. Eros is often among the vendors; his family has sold flowers here for many years (and he’s also an amazing opera singer).

Pizzeria la Smorfia—the local favorite for pizza—cooks up good pizza to eat in or take out. Pizzas come in two sizes; the large can feed three (small pizzas-€6-8, large pizzas-€14-19, Fri-Wed 11:30-24:00, closed Thu except June-Aug, Via Vittorio Emanuele 73, tel. 0187-818-395).

For a good croissant-and-espresso fix, drop by Bar Centrale. If you need eggs, consider Giammi Caffè, with outdoor tables on the main drag (€5 egg dishes, €13 big breakfast, daily 7:00-24:00, Via Colombo 189, mobile 331-608-3512).

$$ Il Carugio has nine modern, sunny rooms right in the center of the village, most with sea views. The communal rooftop terrace offers a commanding view of the coast (Db-€70, Db with seaview balcony-€85, Db apartment-€90 plus €15/extra person, no breakfast, free parking, free self-serve laundry, tel. 0187-812-293, mobile 335-175-7946 or 329-228-38