A Blissful Moment in the Town of Vernazza

A few weeks ago I discovered one of the most beautiful places I have seen in all of Italy. Surrounding this town are deep green olive orchards set in terraces climbing up the hills like stairs. The quiet town is girded by rocky mountains on almost every side. On the other side the gentle and constant sea greets the village. In the town itself there are many streets, only one main street and many serpentine back streets. All of the buildings are painted in vibrant shades of red, blue, orange, or green. This pallet of colored houses blends perfectly to give the eye a worthy treat. The best part of the village is that it seems almost undiscovered by tourists. The locals go about their daily lives with mirth and joy. As they go about their business, they often take breaks to sit down with one another and share a good, hearty laugh. Their business does not drive them; they are much happier spending time together. Noise pollution does not exist in this town. It is blissfully absent of cars and walmarts and mcdonalds. They only noises to be heard for miles around are the happy chatters of locals and the waves rubbing along the beach. This is the village of Vernazza.

On one quiet Friday night I came into this sleepy town. I started off my evening by exploring the nooks and crannies. Each new corner had some new discovery to offer: I found focaccia bread for only 1 euro (about $1.50), little coffee shops that make neat designs on the foam using brown sugar, and a coastline that makes your heart skip a beat. The waters were a clean, deep blue that pierced the eye and drew it in. When I saw the sea, I could do nothing but stare. Its calming waves washed away distractions as I remained staring into its far-reaching mystery; indeed, the waters seemed to spread out to the heavens. So my friends and I watched the water for at least half an hour.

After I was introduced to the sea, I went with my three friends Jessica, Shaila, and Maria for dinner. We found a small seafood restaurant. What we expected to be a normal dinner turned into an epic hour long sing-along. While eating our food (I got gnocchi al pesto) the proprietor of the restaurant and a friend were playing the guitar and singing, respectively. Upon finishing, the proprietor, who was called Piva, handed the guitar to us. In his accented English he urged us to play something. Well, Maria was the only one among us who knew how to play guitar, and on top of that she only knew a few worship songs by heart. So, in a small Italian restaurant in a town few people know, four voices, raised in unison, sang "Blessed Be Your Name." This song is about thanking God for whatever life brings. In that moment I was truly grateful to Christ for bringing me to such a beautiful place. After praising God in that restaurant for a few songs, we passed the guitar back to Piva and his singing friend Jonny. We thought we would get our bill and leave after that. We were wrong. Piva gave all for of us free limoncello's (its an Italian drink) and beckoned for us to join him in singing. Now none of us knew any of these Italian songs, but we did our best and improvised alot. We were soon joined by a college professor on sabbatical and a Swedish opera singer. How else could this night have gotten anymore fun?

After that exciting adventure, the four of us headed back to the shore for one last look before bed. Amidst our walk to the shore, we encountered again Piva, Jonny, and the professor. The party continued on. It didn't last too long because Jonny was trying a little too much to put the moves on the professor (a female professor. just thought it would help to clarify at this point). So we kindly moved to return to our hotels. You would think our night would end at that point. Well, there was more. We were intercepted by some others who had been at Piva's restaurant. They invited us to join them in some random guy's wine cellar. So the four of us and the professor went down to the wine cellar of Giacopo with three other Americans.

After that we were able to finally get some sleep. Funny thing is that this all happened on just the first day. Our second day was very fun, but toned down in comparison. We spent it taking a scenic hike from Vernazza to the neighboring village of Corniglia.

Soon after arriving in Corniglia it was time to leave already. The time I spent in Vernazza will never be forgotten. I enjoyed for just two days getting lost in the beauty of Vernazza. Like the sea did for me the first night, Vernazza swept away the distractions of homework and responsibility. If even for just two days I was able to live unhinged in the heart of a shimmering Italian village. I will never forget that moment in blissful Vernazza