Vernazza

Vernazza is a beautiful tiny village in Cinque Terre in Northern Italy. Cinque Terre is a National Park which is made up of five very picturesque villages which are joined by a hiking trail, a train and the sea. This stunning area is also known as the Italian Riviera.

If one is traveling by car which is a great way to tour the Northern part of Italy, the car will have to be parked
outside the village because there are no cars in this village because the village is made up of tiny paths, alleys,
streets and many steps and there is nowhere for driving here.

Tourists can either pass through Vernazza or use it as a base from which they can visit the other villages of Cinque Terre which are all different, beautiful and worth visiting. The views from the trail coming into Vernazza are gorgeous and your main view is of the apartments facing the sea, and the harbor tower. When you leave Vernazza you leave on the harbor side and see all the boats, and people sunbathing to the right of the harbor on giant flat rocks and swimming in the bluest most clear water you have ever seen.

Vernazza is marked by the harbor tower which was used to scout for pirates hundreds of years ago. There is a cafe there now and you can climb to the top of that tower. Vernazza has the nicest square of the five towns. Right off the square is a nice beach with calm waters due to the harbor wall/shore break. There is also extra sunbathing and swimming to the right of the harbor.

Out of all the five villages Vernazza is the only one with a proper harbour making it a great spot for fishing.

Vernazza is surrounded by lovely olive groves which produce the best olive oil in the world.

There is a small rustic church worth seeing when visiting Vernazza and for a spectacular view it is worth going to the top of the castle. (It is not too high)

There are some lovely cafes, bars and restaurants to visit in Vernazza and don’t leave Cinque Terre without tasting a slice of pesto pizza. The famous “pesto” sauce was created in Cinque Terre.

From Vernazza you can either walk northwest to Monterosso or southeast to Corniglia, both hikes providing stunning unforgettable views – don’t forget the camera!!