5* Alimentari Franca At the bottom of Via Colombo, the main…read morestreet Riomaggiore This small grocery store/salumeria has a wonderful selection of foods and wines e.g., great cheeses, cold cuts, olives, bottled water. Open all day [compared to the Coops which are closed three hours each afternoon] The manager is super helpful, as is his wife Franca, daughter Giulia, and the other super cool workers. We bought our daily groceries. High quality foods at reasonable prices. The best is the fruit that is displayed in front of the store. You select what you want. Yummy!

This is a decent local shop, with some interesting stuff! It's somewhere between a small mini…read moremarket and a local specialties place, so perhaps best to avoid getting the basics here as you will likely find them cheaper at one of the co-ops in town. Worth a perusal though!

Reviewing this as a tourist visiting via cruise:…read more This place was walking distance from the La Spezia port, so a great place to buy some Italian chocolates to take home. They do have Baci Perugina here - I got 200g boxes for €5,99 which was 1/3 of the price for the same box I saw at the airport. There's also a variety of other chocolates that all looked really good. It's Italian chocolate, I don't think you can go wrong there! :) Note: plastic bags are €0,10, so bring your own if you have one.

Good selection for a very small business. Service was good…read more This is pretty much the only grocery store in Vernazza. Very close to the train station. Fresh fruit

Pro: they have some basics and you may need some basics…read more Cons: claustrophobia-inducing store on a street swarming with confused tourists, extremely impatient cashier who yells at people constantly - don't block the door! Don't come in now too crowded! Make a line to pay! Please stand there not here! Now, she wasn't exactly mean...it was more the style of a school teacher herding unruly children. I don't envy that job one bit. I think these particular locals share an ancestry with those matter-of fact-blunt New Yorkers. But a very unpleasant shopping experience nonetheless.

'With great power comes great responsibility.' - Uncle Ben or Voltaire, depending on whom you ask…read more ----- A Butiega is, as far as we could tell, the sole general store to be found in the most central of the Cinque Terre villages. Located not far from the town square, it's right along the footpath leading from the main road into the heart of the municipality. You'll find plenty of your basic staples here: meats, cheeses, olives, oils, vinegars, and wines. Similarly, must-haves like soap, shampoo, and sunscreen can be purchased here. Note that the prices on the last bits can be unexpectedly exorbitant. Whether or not that's due to the import costs or to gouge tourists is an open question. This is probably your best bet to stock up on bottled water, particularly if you're staying in Corniglia and don't have far to carry the giant-sized ones. The wines are generally affordable, with a few bottles costing a mere €5. Don't have high expectations, though - even though they're labelled as Italian wines, I was nonplussed, and I'm no oenophile. As far as monopolies go, the proprietor here seems to be generally benevolent, and could readily jack up prices beyond what we experienced during our visit. It's certainly a mainstay in this hamlet, and has a certain timeless charm that's worth experiencing first-hand.

We stayed in Corniglia for 4 nights and had a wonderful experience with this shop. We stopped in…read moremost mornings before heading out for our hikes and was met with smiling faces and warm salutations. Fresh veggies can be found here as well as toiletry necessities. *Not Advertised (at least in english)* but ask about their sandwiches, you won't be disappointed. We ordered one every morning with meat, cheese, fresh pesto and sun dried tomatoes for €4.50 each! A hard rate to argue with.

Our fish and chips (12.90€) were okay. Squeeze of lemon on the fish tasted good. 50cents for 2…read moresmall packs of ketchup.

This place is absolutely stunning! Room 503 is the top room is the way to go and the view is…read moreincredible. There are at least eight flights of stairs, so back packing is a must. Unless you like carrying bricks up so many flights. Building 49 has many flights of stairs as well, but leads you up to the roof overlooking the ocean. Unobstructed! There are several rooftop locations you can go to. I encountered some Sunday there's who genuinely hate bathing suit's LOL :-) you get a 10% off coupon for the restaurant where you check in, but the restaurant isn't very big so seats are limited, be mindful of the time when you are hungry. There is air-conditioning, TV, no refrigerator, but who wants to carry food around when you can just find from the multiple restaurants and vendors along the Piazza. If you have hiked hear from any of the other locations on the trail my sincere kudos. It is quite a journey. Make sure you check the news or with the local tourist agency, or the hotel to see if there are any mud slides that may alter your path. There's nothing like looking out your window, hearing the church bells, the ocean, and the people below. There are musicians constantly playing in the piazza that providing an ambience that is genuinely unforgettable!

Our week in Riomaggiore was made even more special because of Franca and Pepe at Alimentari Franca…read more We felt like natives shopping through all the fresh produce and great Italian specialties they offer in a great little store. Pepe always had good wine recommendations and Franca not only helped suggest menus but even offered family recipes for their preparation Each day we could go to their store then back to our apartment overlooking the marina and have a wonderful meal and bottle of wine and watch the world go by, Riomaggiore style. Thank you Franca for making our visit one of lifetime.