Salumi E Formaggi — Local services in Vernazza

For all visitors. You must remember that this little town was once untouched and is now overrun with tourists. The people who are local and grew up here have to see what was once a peaceful village become a tourist trap. It would be hard to take for anyone but also a dilemma regarding earning income and remaining in the area. Within a minute of entering I could see that Pino and Sonya had had a gutful of tourists so I engaged my empathy and spoke to them. I only know a little Italian but I tried. Within minutes they were laughing and chatting with us. Sharing their story and telling us about what it's like to live locally. Italians are typically community oriented people. This town has its foundations in community. It is what makes it so charming. When tourists just wash in and out those values get lost very quickly. They are hard to forge and maintain.

As for the produce, Pino happily shaved off some mortadella for us after we got to chatting them. I own a deli back home and have to say this is the most insane flavour I have ever tasted. Ever!

Then he shaved off some prosciutto for us to try. Serious flavour like you've never tasted.

All the fresh produce here is full of life as opposed to the grocery store up the road.

This store is not tourist trap friendly.

If you want a transactional experience for your bottle of water best go somewhere else. If you want an authentic Italian experience of a local providore, take the time to engage. Make sure you speak a little Italian too.

We'll be back every single day during our 4 day visit in Vernazza.

Ciao grazie...

While staying in Vernazza, I hoped to find a market to buy some basics, plus fresh produce. The supermarket down the street was always bombarded with people and had really sad looking fruits & veggies. This little shop became my saving grace. I was able to buy some beautiful peaches and a nice mix of greens and veg for a salad. They also have a deli section with cheese and charcuterie, and some wine so you can make a nice aperitivo at home.

I could see how the couple that runs this shop would be exasperated with all the people coming through their tiny space, many touching things but not seriously looking to buy. I found them to be perfectly helpful (ask for help when you buy produce) and efficient.

Cash only. They are open in the morning and evening, but close for lunch (until...

Uhh 😅 we went there after reading all the negative comments and the angry lady was still there and angry as ever. As we already knew she will be unpolite and grumpy, we didnt mind so much and were just careful not to touch anything. She still got angry that we kept the beer and yoghurt fridge door open for too many seconds 🤣 Didn't do it on purpose.... was a regular 5-10 seconds "choosing the right product" door open. But she started to gringe and wave with her hands. Anyway, we would recommend the upper hill COOP store if you are not ready to fight for your food. If you want to see the grumpiest Italian, go to...