Trattoria Gianni Franzi Vernazza

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Photo of Trattoria Gianni Franzi Vernazza

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

3.50

Piazza Marconi 5 Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italian Riviera, Italy, 19018, 0187-821003

Travel Blogs by Travelers Who Stayed at the Trattoria Gianni Franzi Vernazza
feels like home

After a pleasant ride via Pisa with a change in La Spieza we arrive in Vernazza, a favorite town of mine. It has been discovered thanks in part by the likes of Rick Steves which, means it is jammed with day trippers , perhaps in some part to it being Sat. as well. Marlan is having much fun with his 4 bags as they like to go in all directions and do not fit (with him) through any narrow spaces like train doors etc. Marty wins in that all he is carrying is a large day back, way to go. Anyway ou...

Vernazza, Liguria, Italy alderpan
The Italian Riviera

Our train traveled through the bowels of the hills, coming out of the tunnel now and then to reveal the moon reflected on the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, we came out of the tunnel and stopped at an abandoned station. It was nearly midnight. We disembarked, and the train disappeared into another tunnel, leaving us alone on the platform. We walked down the stairs into the quiet street, and saw the first signs of civilization. Several Italians sat around a candle-lit cafe table, talking quietly....

Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy drzao
Mmm that Gelatto was good. More?

Cinque Terre! The land of five towns, connected by trails an full of beautiful, brilliantly colored homes,old singing Italian men, and gelatto. We arrived yesterday afternoon and hung out in Vernazza. We ate gelatto, did some shopping, ate gelatto, walked around the town, and ate some pasta! mmm Italy tastes great! We hung out last night on the harbor and watched the beautiful sunset and the town light up! Fantastic! This morning, we started in Manarosa and hiked up the five towns, stopping i...

Vernazza, Italian Riviera, Italy katyandkallie
Cinque Terra, Italy

So once I am on the train from Pisa to Cinque Terra, the views start to change. Mountains replace the hills, and the ocean is harder to see. I started to get a little sleepy on the train, and dozed off a bit. When I woke up were 2 stops from my stop. (It was only an hour train trip). And when coming from La Spazia, you are going through these tunnels in the mountains. And there are snapshot views in "windows" carved out of the mountain of the sea (Ligurian Sea). STUNNING! I finally get to my ...

Vernazza, Italy, Italy nyguy79
Cinque Terra, Italy

So I started early... was out the door by 9:15. Grabbed a quick breakfast, and watched a Palm Sunday service in the square on the way to the trails. Total forgot it's almost Easter... I can only imagine what that is going to be like here in Italy!!! After a little confusion at the tourist office to figure out what I needed to buy (Nothing as I already had a train pass, and you buy the trail pass in the enterance) I was off. The day was misty and a little overcast, but stunning! I was so eager...

Cinque Terra, Italy nyguy79

Historical Traveler Reviews of Trattoria Gianni Franzi Vernazza

Reliable rooms at a good price

from A TripAdvisor Member
Very basic rooms each with a unique charm. While the rooms were just bare bones, something was special about them. Our group occupied a few rooms, all of which seemed clean. Given the price, we couldn't complain.

Magical hacienda tucked above and between the cliffs

from A TripAdvisor Member
Stumbled upon Gianni Franzi during my first trip through Vernazza and made reservations for my second stay. Both times were truly magical. The rooms are very uniquely furnished, with amazing views and with truly european bathrooms. Yes - it is quite a climb, but if you're like most people traveling through Cinque Terre, the stairs are a NON ISSUE. The location of the hotel is perfect, the outside cave like patio / lounge area built INTO the cliff is a natural wonder, and I haven't stayed in any place in Italy that I enjoyed more than this little gem. I highly recommend it - and rooms #27 - #31 have the very best views!!! IF the the floors aren't swept -- order a broom! How can anyone let a bit of sand take away from some of the most amazing views of the Mediterannean???? By the way - when we were there, the floors were very clean!

Not great

from A TripAdvisor Member
Stayed at Gianni Franzi April 2005. Not a good experience. The rooms were up 100 stairs. They were dirty with sand on the floors. No hot water and a shower so small my husband didn't even try. I heard that Albergo Barbara was better from other people. It was very noisy also. We did get good service in their restaurant, but Gambero Rosso was far superior.

A nice place for the money

from PolloKahn
I thought the steep steps , abundance of cats, and narrow alleyways contributed to the cozy appeal of this place. The room was clean and bed comfortable. The backyard terrace was simply awe inspiring. A beautiful view of the ocean on the cliffside.

The staff were not the most cheerful. They claimed we made no reservation and would not have given us the room if it weren't for a printed email receipt we brought along as an afterthought. The "smoking gun" evidence made them reconsider, but the whole situation was mildly suspicious.

Make sure to ask for the 10% cash discount.

Lots of steps, but worth it!

from Rick1303
We've stayed here twice, once in June 2001 and in June 2004. Lots of stair climbing (it's easier after a few glasses of wine?), but the place is worth it. The little patio overhanging the Ligurian Sea is heaven at sunrise or sunset and in between (night or day); be sure you have good mobility or take everything with you on the first trip to it, including the corkscrew! The staff is great. Arrangements were handled easily by email (actually fax). The townspeople are great. The trattorias are excellent. Possibly too many tourists, but we still have fun; even getting there is fun, whether driving into the parking lot or by the milk run train. Reasonable rates, fun rooms. Vernazza has some nice little shops, even the internet cafe is fun and its people are helpful. The views driving into town are worth the trip, by themselves.

Fun!

from A TripAdvisor Member
We had no problem corresponding with the hotel staff on the computer. We were told they were closed the day we were arriving and where to go to find the room key. When we arrived to the hotel there was a note to us taped on the door reminding us where to find the key. We walked up the 100 steps - which included three floors of tiny spiral staircases - that they had warned us about to a very small room (with a dirty floor) with a wonderful view of the ocean. Clothing hooks on the walls would have been very helpful. Our bathroom was ensuite and we had hot water every day. We also ate a wonderful meal in the restaurant one night. We enjoyed the walk to our room through the narrow alleys.

Don't Count on Gianni!

from A TripAdvisor Member
First we had a lot of truoble (like everyone else from the sounds of it) contacting Gianni. They did not return emails and I could not get a confirmation until I was already in Europe. After several emails asking for confirmation, they sent me two emails confirming my room. When I arrived they had canceled my room. They said I had called to cancel (I never phoned them). They seem to take people who want more days over those that only commit to 2 days. And since they are in the hub of Vernazza they do not worry about cancelling rooms on the spot. They are also very cold and do not smile. I recommend Sorriso. They are GREAT, and we went back up the hill to Francesca's Hotel Sorriso and enjoyed my two days in Vernazza anyway!

Cinque Terre Modus Operandi

from A TripAdvisor Member
We didn't quite know how to "do" Cinque Terre - but our improvisation turned out really well and i wanted to share this with others. We decided to stay in Vernazza - which ended up being the best combination of nice restaurants, etc - but not too busy - so was perfect for us.

We drove to Monterosso and parked in the public car park - there was plenty of space on arriving at 3pm and the car park only cost Eur 10 per day and we had no problems with leaving it there. We then took the ferry to Vernazza - took 10 minutes and ferries were relatively frequent. i think the last ferry is about 6pm. You can also take the train. The key here is taking a small pack - don't try to take your whole case. Then we walked the beautiful trails between the villages, using Vernazza as a base.

We stayed at Trattoria Giani Franzi which was delightfully simple, clean, and right in the centre of Vernazza. We had room 35 which had a beautiful balcony with view and private bathroom for 76 Euros - the only drawback is its on the last floor so somewhat hot. I would take one on the lower floor (cooler) with balcony and without private bath if i were to go again in summer. there are much cheaper rooms without private bath, balcony, etc. The pasta genovese at the restaurant was wonderful. 2 nights in Cinque Terre was perfect for us.

Cheap, But not Clean

from daria
My husband and I stayed in one of Gianni Franzi's rooms last month and I would say it is a close call, but I would not stay here again.

My main complaint was the cleanliness of the room and if it weren't for that problem, I would stay there again.

We had a double room in May for E 76.00, but you get a 10% discount for paying in cash so we only paid E 69.00. That price is obviously great. The room itself was funky, but we liked it. It had a make-shift closet, and was very small. There was just enough room to walk around the bed. We were only paying for double, but the room actually had another little bed, so we used that for our suitcases. There was also a view of the ocean, which was great. There was old 60s art on the walls that we thought was funny, and the ceiling was beamed and kind-of low. The bathroom was so tiny that we both could not fit in there at the same time. All of this was fine with us.

The location was good as (although it was up many stairs) it was right off of the main piazza. It was quiet in the building we stayed in.

The cleanliness problem was that there was mildew in the shower, the floors were dirty (they had dust or lint on them), the walls had dirty marks on them and some of the mirrors were not clean. Not a huge deal, but enough to make me look elsewhere next time.

The other thing you should be aware of is that the rooms are operated out of Gianni Franzi's restaurant, and so there is no front desk with any type of services that you would expect in a normal hotel. The only service we received was when we arrived and it was not very friendly or helpful. I got the impression that the people working Gianni Franzi's bar (where you go to "check in") are aware that they can rent their rooms out without a problem, so they are not really concerned about being friendly or providing good service.

Wonderful

from A TripAdvisor Member
Despite the trek up 100 stone steps to our rooms, the Gianni Franzi hotel was wonderful. Vernazza is beautiful, and the staff is very welcoming. Gianni is the cutest old man, and Gulliani (our waiter) was very nice. Will come again. Our favorite stay out of Rome, Florence, and Pisa.

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