Trattoria Gianni Franzi in Vernazza

Best and Best 

​In April 2021, Don and I dined at what I think is the best restaurant, in the seaside village of Vernazza.

It's hard to decide, but I also believe Vernazza may be the best of the 5 villages, in Italy's Cinque Terre district. BEST restaurant in BEST village!
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Lovely Vernazza

Silly me. I'm not exactly qualified to decide the BEST of anything. Don and I were in Vernazza just 2 nights. We only stayed in 2 of the 5 villages. 

But Vernazza is indeed storybook charming. Piazza Marconi, the harbor, Gothic Santa Margherita Church and the colorful, untouched 11-12th century buildings... plus hills & vineyards! Gorgeous even on a rainy day!

Pink & Green

We only sampled a few restaurants. Gianni Franzi (pink builidng) was next door to another inviting restaurant, in a pale green building.

The walkway between the two, led us on an exhausting maze-like adventure up to our hotel, La Mala. We passed both restaurants numerous times a day. 

Dining in the Piazza

The 2 restaurants next to the steps, offered outside dining on Piazza Marconi, overlooking the harbor. But the restaurant in the green building, was the only one with intriguing wooden stools.

The diners who gathered later, also intrigued me. Lots of enthused voices, speaking Italian.

Gianni Franzi on Piazza Marconi

My mind was already made up about where we would dine the first night. For years, my friend Lorrie has raved about Gianni Franzi. Not just the food, but Gianni himself! I could already picture the outside tables, where Gianni often greets guests. Seating was actually outside the yellow building. Just steps from the pink restaurant. 

But it was drizzling when our train arrived. Piazza Marconi was filled with fishing boats, instead of cafe tables.

The rain stopped by 4:30, but tables looked as moist as the hanging laundry. ​

However, the table umbrellas soon opened. Should we book a table in, or out? 

Reservations

It was chilly after the rain, so we decided to book an inside table. I hiked down to the restaurant to make the reservations in person.

The restaurant was closed, but luckily I could speak with someone in the bar. A young man greeted me and very efficiently had me put my name on a card, to reserve a table for the first seating of the night.

Cave-like!

We arrived at 7 and stepped into the dining room. It looked like it was carved from rock.  There were already diners seated, even though the restaurant opened at 7. We were greeted by Paulo who would be our server. We followed him towards a table where he picked up a card and asked, "Is this you?" 

It wasn't me, so he hunted some more. When Paulo found the card with my name, he smiled and quickly exchanged cards with another table. I couldn't make out exactly what he said, but something about a better table! No complaints!

Menu Time

​Paulo handed us menus. Don wanted to know about the logo right away.

Paulo had the same colorful images on his shirt. A fish with an arrow pointing to a mouth. An eye with an arrow pointing to a symbol for water. He seemed amused that we were pausing to decipher the code. We can eat some fish, with views of the sea!

Absorbing the Atmosphere

A moment later, Paulo brought us some bread to enjoy while we studied the menu.

My eyes kept wandering from the menu, to the walls, to the nearby tables. 

There was very little wall space, that wasn't made of stone. That seemed to make the artwork twice as dramatic, displayed on the few white wall spaces.  

Unknown History
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The room was filled in a matter of minutes. I wanted to climb over tables and onto chairs, to study the wood beams above the stone arches. How old was this building?

I never learned the building's age, but I did read that there's been a restaurant within these walls, since before WWII. Before the war, the trattoria was owned by an interesting character who drank a lot and didn't care for tourists. It was then called Trattoria della Stella. 

Cheers

Don and I started with drinks. Don went for the Italian cocktail, Negroni.

Cinque Terre is more known for white wine, but I like red. I chose a Chianti named for the Italian explorer, Verrazzano. I actually know nothing about him, but I do remember watching the Verrazzano Bridge being built in NY, when I was 6. Cheers to that!

Fried Anchovies

I used to hate anchovies, but Lorrie told me the fried anchovies were amazing. The last time I had anchovies in Italy, was on my 11th birthday. I remember begging the waiter to keep the anchovies off my pizza. It didn't help. I had to pick them off. But that was over a half century ago and my tastebuds have changed.

We were a little worried when Paulo said they didn't have fried anchovies on the menu. But then he smiled. "You just have to ask for it."

Best Waiter
 
The anchovies were just as crispy and fresh as Lorrie said. The lemon added  just the right zing. Paulo was happy that we loved the appetizer. But he teased that he preferred it without lemon!

All the waiters seemed friendly and upbeat, but I'm pretty sure we got the best server. The waiters wore the same shirt as Paulo. Matching shirts and lots of playful banter, made me feel like all the diners were being served by a happy soccer team.  

Ligurian Pasta

This cozy trattoria has specialized in typical Ligurian dishes since Francesco Ferrari (nicknamed Franzi) bought Trattoria della Stella, (from the guy who disliked tourists) sometime after WWll.

My traditional Torfie al pesto, was absolutely mouthwatering. The home-made pasta was equally delicious. Don was just as enthused with his spaghetti al sugo. I was so giddy I did the unthinkable and touristy thing and texted Lorrie. She texted  me a video of Gianni greeting her at the table last September with a big hug. I showed it to Paulo. He was properly amused and suddenly disappeared.

Gianni!

Evidently Gianni had just walked in the door, a moment before. Paulo sent him over to meet us. He reached out to shake both our hands and suddenly we were gushing about our wonderful dinner.

Gianni seemed sincerely delighted to meet us. And he was also happy to pose. His warmth and chatty conversing, made us feel like we were VIPs! Don and I laughed later to think there might have been some communication issues, that led to the sudden enthusiasm. When I shared the video of Lorrie greeting Gianni, did they think she was a celebrity? I'd say, Lorrie and her husband could pass for celebrities! If a language barrier led to our special treatment, I need to learn to perfect this!

Heading Off

It was such a treat to meet the Gianni, who has owned this charming place since the 1960s. It was extra fun to have a waiter who seemed to enjoy serving us. When Paulo brought the bill, he smiled and mentioned that the fried anchovies were on the house. The meal memory suddenly got even better!

We headed into the bar area, to pay the bill. The bar space seemed louder and more crowded. I added to my mental list. I think we lucked out with the best table in the dining room... served by the best waiter... in the best restaurant in Vernazza... in the best village in Cinque Terre!

Post Dinner

When we headed outside, it was chilly. I spotted a couple of (possibly shivering) diners. I was glad we'd opted to dine inside.

We'd missed the sunset that night. But it had been cloudy anyway. Now it was dark and it didn't matter. 

We walked out past the harbor and looked back at the picture perfect, glowing village.

​The next day the weather was sunnier and warmer. By evening, the Piazza was free of boats and the Gianni Franzi's dining area was full. 

Next time, we'll come a few weeks later in April and make sure to enjoy a meal (and sunset) on the Piazza!

Good-bye Vernazza

The last day we hiked high above Vernazza, before taking off on the train. We absorbed a totally different view of the magical town. 

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​Since our dinner 2 nights before, I'd had time to search the internet and learn that Gianni has owned the trattoria since the 1960s. He was just 14 when he began working as a bus boy for Franzi. I concluded that would have been the 1950s, since I saw birthday post on Facebook. Looks like Gianni must be  87 now. I'm so grateful that we got to meet this gracious, hardworking man.

​It boggles my mind in this ever-changing world, that this village looks so much like it did when Gianni was teen, carrying dishes inside the trattoria! I wish I could snap my fingers and speak fluent Italian and hear his stories!
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