We had a very busy morning today; got up and had breakfast and some nice conversation with the other guests at Il Salotto. One couple had come from Manarola the day before and had some good info for us. They specifically mentioned having dinner at “Trattoria dal Billy.” They also mentioned that the only coastal trail open was the one between Monterosso and Vernazza. Bummer.
We had to be out of Florence by noon in order to make it to Manarola in time for the afternoon delivery window when I'd be able to drive my car down into town and unload, so our morning was go, go, go. Angela and I double-timed it over to the Basilica di Santa Croce in order to see Galileo and Michelangelo's tombs which were scaffolded over the last time we were in Florence in 2005. They were justifiably amazing.
We met Michele back at the B&B so that I could check us out of our rooms and pick her up to walk through the Cathedral. Honestly, I was more impressed with the interior of both Santa Croce and the cathedral in Orvieto than I was with the Duomo. Now, don't get me wrong, the Florence cathedral is amazing from the outside; with it's beautiful dome and multi-colored marble facade, but the inside is dark and plain. The only exception to that is the roof under the dome; it's a beautiful fresco.
A little more shopping ensued after that since we had a little time to kill but nothing made it into the net except a can of olive oil. I was disappointed in the street art that we found since nothing “spoke” to us enough to grab.
Getting out of Florence was much easier than getting in. Alessandro gave me excellent directions and once on the motorway, we let the car tell us how to get to Manarola. Lunch at Autogrill again (a different panini every time and all of them good) and we were in Manarola by 3. We met Emanuelle at the appointed place and after doing a quick luggage change and getting a brief orientation of our efficiency apartment, I drove the car back up out of town and parked it on the street (since on street parking is free).
Walking back down into town, we spotted the sign for “dal Billy” and checked out the menu. The place looked pretty cool; with a couple terraced dining areas. We asked Emmanuelle to make us a reservation for 7:30.
We got some wine, bread, cheese, and olives and had a very nice little afternoon happy hour on our balcony looking at the sea.
Dinner was quite simply amazing. Marinated Anchovies, Trofie with pesto, and baked Sea Bass (we were able to pick out exactly which fish we wanted) with roasted potatoes and olives. Maybe the best meal I've ever had. Our waiter was very cool. He started out a little gruff but warmed up as the night went on. We had a nice conversation with an Australian couple who were on a month-long European vacation. By the end of the night, our waiter was bringing us shots of limoncello and some liquor called “Grappa.” Good stuff.
Tomorrow, our plan is to have breakfast at the little bistro downstairs, explore a bit more of Manarola, then take the train up to Monterosso where Angela and I will hike the one section of the “Senetiero Azzurro” that's open and meet Michele in Vernazza. Hopefully the boats will be going tomorrow, because we want to take the boat from Vernazza to Riomaggiore and then the train back up to Manarola. Should be a pretty full day.
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