We chose Il Gatto based on the excellent reviews we saw on Tripadvisor and were surely not disappointed. The owner met us at the town centre. Although he's not fluent in English, the combination of my Italian and his English was fine. The view from the balcony is absolutely spectacular.
Two things that folks may find useful: WIND sim cards don't get good signals. We visit Italy quite a bit and had bought two Italian WIND cards for use in Italy, so that we could phone each other if we needed to. As we had difficulty getting signals with WIND, it was a bit inconvenient but we managed. By the way, I also had a spare mobile (with Virgin sim card from the UK), it used TIM and the signal was fine in Corniglia. Second thing is: The coastal path between Corniglia and Manarola is closed due to land slide. This means the local train is the only option if you want to go to Riomaggiore, and you most probably would want to walk the "Love Trail" between Manarola and Riomaggiore.
We saw on the map that there was a beach "Spiaggia Guvano" near Corniglia (towards Vernazza) and it looked quiet and wonderful. Starting walking the Trail from Corniglia towards Vernazza, hoping to find a path which joins the Trail with the beach. We found it, but it was absolutely perilous from us (my husband and I). Our 18 year old son who went on his own also found the path, and basically slid down the hill (good job I didn't see him -- probably would be scared stiff!). He met people at the beach, many nudists, and found an alternative way to reach the beach -- via a disused train tunnel from Corniglia station. If you intend to do this, remember to take a torch. My son walked the pitch-black tunnel for 45 minutes back to Corniglia without a torch -- an adventure, he says.
We stayed for 5 nights in Corniglia. On the day of departure, whilst we were waiting for the shuttle bus to take us to the train station and getting anxious as the minutes were ticking away and we needed to buy train tickets, Antonio and his wife were on their way to get petrol. They stopped and gave us a lift to the Station. What a lovely surprise! Such friendly people. |
| I just cannot say enough about how wonderful Antonio and his family are to their guests. Corniglia may well be the most gorgeous location on earth, and Il Gatto is the perfect spot to stay while there. The apartment has everything you need and is absolutely spotlessly clean. I was there with my niece and my husband was to join us during our stay; due to health issues, I was forced to shorten our stay. Antonio was so incredibly understanding - he is not just a property owner - I think he personally cares about each of his guests. Upon our arrival, he had homemade pesto for us, a bowl of lemons from his trees which we could see from the kitchen, and a bottle of his own homemade wine. We bought fresh fruits, pasta, bread and vegetables from the markets in the mornings and prepared it for dinner - with wine of course! The markets, restaurants and cafes are so good and personal. We really felt we were in a different world while here. If you are thinking about going - quit thinking and just go. It will be a trip of a lifetime. |