Gianni Franzi in Vernazza

In mid-April 2015, two of us took the early train out of Nice, France, several hours to Monterosso, Italy, where we bought a local ticket to another Cinque Terre town, Vernazza, one of the most beautiful villages I’ve ever seen.

We had no difficulty getting a room, booking on the spot at Trattoria Gianni Franzi (Via San Giovanni Battista, 41, 47, 49, 19018 Vernazza SP, Cinque Terre, Italy; phone +39 0187 821003, www.giannifranzi.it), on the square by the water. For a double room 112 steps above the main street, we paid $130.

I would not want to go in the summer, though, when booking a room would not be so easy. As it was, we continued traveling for three weeks, and almost everywhere the crowds were immense. Far south, Rome and the Vatican were a zoo. 

In Frascati, southeast of Rome, we stayed in a nice hotel near the train station and bought passes for €8 (near $9) a day that were good for the train to Rome (a 30-minute ride) and all the buses and subways.

CARL BOYER

Newhall, CA