Sublime

Wear your walking shoes and pack your swim gear.

Gastronomia “San Martino,” warmly and passionately run by Moreno, is a tiny, humble place with almost no ambience (except for a couple of outdoor tables) that serves inexpensive quality

tourists—so it’s almost never full. $$ Cristiana Ricci is an exception to the rule. She communicates well and is reliable, renting four small, clean, and peaceful rooms—two with kitchens and one with a terrace and sweeping view—just inland from the bus stop (Db-€60-70, Tb-€80, Qb-€90, €10/day less when you stay 2 or more nights, Wi-Fi, check in at

map (also

$$ Riomaggiore

Perhaps that’s why it’s a favorite among savvy Europeans seeking a relatively untrampled home base. The touristy zone squeezed between the cement-encased train tracks and the harbor can be stressfully congested, but head just a few steps uphill and you can breathe again.