BachYard in the Vineyard

As a frequent Airbnb customer, we get occasional special offers for Airbnb "experiences," special events in the area we are renting. This led us to "BachYard, a concert in the vineyard," in Riomaggiore, Italy earlier this week.

Riomaggiore is the southernmost town in the Cinque Terre, a string of centuries old villages along Italy's Ligurian Coast. Our host for the evening, Emanuele, was very much a modern day Renaissance Man.

The experience included an outdoor private dinner with five other tourists, in Emanuele's back yard next to his vineyard and with a beautiful view of the sea. Years earlier, Emanuele explained, he was a professional classical pianist. His piano now rests in the cellar of his home, with the cellar's back wall being the remains of an old limestone cave (acoustically outstanding!) and he played – as advertised – a Bach concert all night long. BachYard... get it?

Getting there was its own journey – a quick train ride from our Airbnb in Manarola through a tunnel to Riomaggiore followed by a steep walk to the far end of Riomaggiore's main commercial street. Emanuele met us there in his rickety but reliable old Range Rover for another half-hour drive over the mountain, then another fifteen minute walk to his home.

We stopped at a section of a medieval stone road for a history lesson, as Emanuele explained how he helped rebuild the section nearest his home – part of the route from Paris to Rome way, way back in the day – as a volunteer for the Cinque Terre National Park, which protects the relationship between people and environment that defines this region .

Throughout our evening, Emanuele was the consummate raconteur, charming his guests with stories about his experiences as a pianist, archeologist, cultural historian, children's book author, winemaker, distiller, and chef. Not enough to rival Leonardo Da Vinci, but a lasting impression.

We stopped next to Emanuele's vineyard for a viticulture lesson while sampling two white wines from his collection, then dined on homemade gnocchi, fresh pesto, local cheeses, charcuterie, focaccia, and salad served by Emanuele's fiancé while Bach's music filled the air and the sun slowly set over the Mediterranean. Our fellow guests included a single woman from Oregon, a young couple from Chicago, and two other women from Ontario, Canada. Everyone was friendly and interesting in their own way... including us!

After dinner, there was ice cream and Limoncino, a lemon-based liqueur that is slightly lighter and less creamy than its close cousin Limoncello (which is more popular near Rome and further south). Emanuele insists Limoncino is the superior option and will gladly tell you another story about why that is so. Lemons are practically worshipped in Cinque Terre, with the northernmost village of Monterosso hosting an annual lemon festival as its surrounding area is sometimes called the "valley of lemons."

By the numbers:

5 villages that make up the Cinque Terre (from north to south: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore)

8 organic lemons needed to make two liters of Limoncino

69 flights of stairs (or equivalent) we climbed the day of our BachYard experience, indicative of the steep terrain that defines the Cinque Terre

4,000-5,000 (approx.) permanent residents in Cinque Terre's villages

4,300 acres, the size of Cinque Terre National Park, the smallest of Italy's national parks

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