One day at twilight I wandered around Vernazza, one of the five fishing villages on the Italian Rivera. As I turned my head, I was stunned by the spectacular view that suddenly unveiled itself to me.  Instantly, I felt a deep connection, not just with the natural beauty, but also with the spiritual essence of the scene. It was at that moment I recalled an ancient story from the East:

"A woodcutter went into the mountains to cut wood every day. Each time he walked through the passage to the mountains, he saw a man meditating under a tree. One day, the woodcutter passed by and the man told him that if he could dig up something called copper it would pay for his expenses for the week.  The woodcutter took his advice, and he found the copper that paid for his needs for a week.  Seven days later the man told him that if he went deeper into the mountains, he could find silver and it would pay for his expenses for a month. He did what the man advised him to do, and found the silver.  A month later, he went back to the man and was told that if he would travel even deeper into the mountains, he could find gold.  The woodcutter found gold and it was enough to support him for a couple of years. A few years later he went back to the man and this time, the man told him if he wanted even more, he would have to go beyond his last travels and he would find something that could sustain him for the rest of his life.  The woodcutter found rubies and lived a wealthy life beyond his wildest dreams. However, he felt that something was missing in his life.  Also, he wondered why the man didn't dig up these treasures himself.  He approached the man with these questions. The man told the woodcutter he was once like him, but he discovered a way to go deep into his heart.  He found something more valuable than silver, gold, and rubies.  He found joy.  The woodcutter finally realized what was missing in his life.  He sat down next to the man and meditated with him. "

As I meditated facing the village, I knew Vernazza was the place where people could sail into the deepest harbor of their hearts, where they could all find something that is more valuable than anything they pursued in the material world: a simply yet divine joy.