Ristorante Belforte

Eating inside a tower above the sea

Belforte occupies the medieval watchtower that closes Vernazza's harbour on the west, perched on the rock. The tables are spread over several terraces at different heights, an indoor room and the tower itself. The most requested is the tavolo dell'amore, a table for two alone on a ledge. It is the place for the special lunch or dinner of the trip, best at sunset.

The house says the restaurant was born some fifty years ago, always in the hands of village families, and that in the seventies and eighties it was a meeting point for theatre people, painters and singers. After some leaner years, a textile industrialist from Prato took an interest in the place and a chef arrived who restored the fish of the day and the flavours of the Ligurian kitchen gardens to the menu.

What to order

The menu is fish and seafood, with Ligurian dishes. Among the starters are the mixed antipasto of five courses, the mixed Monterosso anchovies, the warm seafood salad alla vernazzana, rock octopus with potatoes and olives and mussels from Portovenere. There are raw dishes and tartare depending on the catch.

Among the pastas, made to order, the house recommends the tagliatelle all'aragosta and the tagliolini al nero di seppia with prawns. The spaghetti alla Bruno, with mussels, clams and prawns, and the curry rice with langoustines are its specialities. The trofie come with Genoese pesto made in-house every day. For a main course, a grill of fish and shellfish, salt-baked or oven-baked fish, paranza fry and tuna tagliata with Tropea onion. For those who do not want fish, escalopes with Vernazza lemon or veal tagliata. The house dessert is pan-sautéed strawberries with ice cream; there is also buccellato with passito wine.

Hours and reservations

It is open at lunchtime and in the evening, every day except Tuesday. It is currently closed for holidays until March 2027. The “Dove siamo” page gives 12:00 to 15:00 and 19:00 to 22:00; the home page, 12:30 to 14:30 and 19:30 to 22:30: arrive within the shorter window. You book through the form on its website, and in season it is wise to do so days ahead.

It is a couple of steps from Piazza Marconi: from Vernazza station go down the main street to the harbour and continue left towards the tower. There are stairs between terraces, so it is difficult with a wheelchair or pushchair.