It was our third full day in the Cinque Terre, but it for some reason, it felt like we'd been here for a while. We kept running into a very friendly Aussie couple, like 2-3 times a day. They were staying in a flat we could see from our window with a patio overlooking the sea. We'd see them having wine every evening. We gotta stay there next time!
By now, our morning coffee routine was a visit to Ananasso Bar.
Where the views from one of the tables overlooking the harbor is wonderful.
The wind and the rain from the night before had made for fairly clear skies and the winter air was crisp.
This seemed like a perfect time to visit Castello Doria (Doria Castle) and the tower of the ruins which stands on the edge of a ridge overlooking the village and the sea. Of course, there were a good number of stairs to climb!
The views from the tower are fantastic; especially on a clear day like this was.
From one side you could see the south shoreline.
From the other the North.
And of course a postcard view of Vernazza below.
While admiring the views, the Missus and I discussed our plans for the day. Well, it ended up being pretty easy; we'd been to four of the five villages f the Cinque Terre. There was just one left, Corniglia. We decided we needed to complete the "set".
So, it was back to the apartment to get our stuffs….yes, more stairs…..
On the way up to the train station, we decided to take a peek at the tiny chapel on the main street, Via Roma.
This lovely little temple is the Chapel of Santa Marta.
And then we were off to Corniglia; the train there takes only 4 minutes! Corniglia has the distinction of being the only one of the five villages not on the ocean; instead it is perched on a hill above the water. Though the train station is at the bottom of the hill.
So, to get up to this village of 150, you need to catch the shuttle……or…..
Yep, you guessed it; take the stairs, all 382 of them! Guess which option the Missus picked?
No, I didn't count them. It actually wasn't too bad because they were nicely maintained and quite even.
Once near the top, you simply walk thru some narrow streets and end up where the shuttle buses actually stop.
We strolled along Via Stazione into the charming little village. And ended up at a lovely little square in front of a church.
This is the lovely Chiesa Di San Pietro.
Which was built way back in 1334!
While enjoying the white marble interior, we quickly noticed a pooch walking thru the church. The dog had a harness on and we thought he was with the nice gentleman and his son. However, when they left the church, the pup did not!
He just hung around and greeted people.
And when folks started coming in for what appeared to be services, he took his leave! Such a well mannered pooch!
You'd weave your way between buildings.
And then suddenly find yourself on the edge with a view.
Crossing over we entered what looked like the "downtown" of Corniglia, there were some cafes and restaurants and a nice little square. And an interesting chapel.
With an even more interesting…and kinda gory statue in the front.
Later on, I did a search in Google maps and found that this is the Cappella dei Flagellati Corniglia, the "Chapel of the Flagellants". Which explains the statue; because you know what Flagellants are, right?
It's quite a lovely area.
Following the instructions of Rick Steves Cinque Terre guide we walked down the little street named Via Fieschi.
Which led us to a lovely terrace known as Santa Maria Belvedere, which had beautiful 180 degree views of the Ligurian Coast.
Corniglia was so chill!
We decided to get a very light brunch and some espresso and headed back to the square, Largo Taragio. Where the Caffè Matteo was doing some good business! This was the most folks we saw in Corniglia.
And they had a bunch of breakfast deals going.
The Missus got a croissant and coffee for 3 Euros; I got the croissant, coffee, and OJ for 5 Euros. The prices were indeed quite fair; even though the croissant, as expected was not very good.
The exterior hard, the interior too brady and doughy, not enough butter…but of course, we expected that.
Between the carbs and the coffee; well, that was enough to keep us until later in the day.
And at 8 Euros for two?
Caffè Matteo
Via Fieschi 157
Corniglia, Italy
And carbs were good, because well, remember those 382 steps???
I also loved this sign that was in the cafe…..
As the Missus and I waited for the train; we made a decision on where we'd be going to next….since we'd been to all five villages in the Cinque Terre; we thought we'd visit one to the North where the local train ended.
Stay Tuned!
Haven't tried the pajeon yet, but the Maneuljjong Muchim, the panchan made with garlic scapes was maybe the best I've had! Still quite crisp, decent, but not overwhelming spice and fermented tones, hint of sweetness, and most of all, great, pungent garlic flavor! It was awesome with some rice porridge…which we've been having quite often during these cold evenings. The Missus enjoyed the Mechurial Jjorim, the briased soy sauce quail eggs as well.
First off, let me say that the rice was perfect, just what I'd expect from a good sushi bar. The wasabi bright, fresh, sinus clearing.
The Ika and Salmon were decent; the salmon was decently fatty and the texture of the ika was quite good, not overly chewy.
The wings weren't overly sticky as before, though it was still more sweet, than savory and I really couldn't make out any garlic. The wings were again much more moist and tender than the drumettes which were on the tough and dry side. 
Now, I believe that you're going to think I'm strange, but for us, the meat was the weakest part of the meal. The beef belly was tough as was the short rib; the pork belly did well, but again wasn't anything special; the rib eye was supposedly prime, and was adequately tender, but nothing special. At a point in time, I took over the cooking duties as the wonderful young folks, whom I'm sure were doing their best and working on their experience with other customers…can you imagine; they were doing the cooking on all the tables! Well, things were turning out overcooked.
The soup was lip meltingly hot, with mild anise-beefy tones, but it had that attribute of a lot of the pho in San Diego; the "mild sweetness". It was msg heaven cause I was chugging water like crazy when I got back home.
