We decided to walk around the hills in Manarola, as the via d'amore was closed in both directions thanks to heavy rain the night before. This lead us way up above the village into the grapevines that cover the hills, used to make a local white sweet dessert wine called sciacchetrà . The views up here were unparalled to sights found on the tourist paths around town. Narrow and steep enough for billy goats, we went up as far as we dared which was only about half way, as the vines and stone stairs kept going up. It was so steep and tall that we could not see the sun rise!
Skipping lunch thanks to Pizza Man in Florence, we decided to hike the other side of town's mountain vineyards. Equally amazing and seeing black clouds soaring overhead we made a dash for our hotel's safety and complimentary beverages while writing some more.
Hungry enough to eat dinner, we made our way up to a tiny, multi-tiered restaurant named Trattoria da'Billy. Billy was crammed to the gills with diners, it was essential to make a reservation at this hidden delight. Lindsey had been craving fresh grilled fish since we saw it served up in Venice and seeing all of the photos from the 70s and 80s of Billy and his pals with fish of significant sizes, this was the place she had been looking for. Ordered by weight in 100g increments, we asked for enough for two (includes head and tail) or about 600g. The people we had been chatting up from NY and New Zealand were obviously jealous as they both asked what we ordered. Of course it was some of the best fish we've had - ever. Forgetting to inquire about the type of fish, it was perfectly cooked and more than likely pulled from the water that day, we couldn't help but dig in before remembering to take a photo!
Dessert was forgettable, but we lingered in the Italian way, with nothing else to do, over complimentary digestives and good company.
-NT
Location:Manarola, Italy
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