Vernazza is a gorgeous village along the coast in the Liguria Region of Italy. It is one of the five towns that make up Cinque Terre which is both an Italian national park and a UNESCO world heritage site. It has a population of about 700 and dates back almost a thousand years. Traditionally, Vernazza was a town that relied upon fishing, olive oil and wine production. Although those industries still exist today, Vernazza is now mostly a tourist destination.
Getting to Vernazza
The only practical way to get to Vernazza is by train. Technically you can drive to Vernazza, but it takes twice as long and parking would be a challenge. To enter Cinque Terre National Park, you must enter the park through La Spezia on the south end of the park or Lavanto on the north end. You can buy a day pass for unlimited rides on the Cinque Terre Express in either of those towns. You can also buy them through the Trenitalia app.
During high season (basically April through October), trains run every 20 minutes. During the off season, they run either every 30 or 60 minutes. You should keep a general idea of when the next train will arrive so that you don’t find yourself waiting too long for a train between towns.
For up to date timetable and prices for the trains in Cinque Terre, visit the official website.
Experiencing Vernazza
The Cinque Terre Express lets off right in the middle of the town. From the moment you descend from the train platform, you are surrounded by four story buildings on either side and terraced vineyards behind you. In front is Via Roma, the main road through Vernazza that slowly descends into the Ligurian Sea.
Walking down Via Roma, there are restaurants and gelato shops on both sides. What caught my eye was the focaccia shops. Who doesn’t love focaccia after all?
It doesn’t take too much of a walk down Via Roma before you reach the harbor which is the centerpiece of the town. There are no large boats in the marina, it’s mostly just small fishing boats.
Directly in front of the marina is a plaza lined with restaurants, bars and shops. To the right is a church from the middle ages called Chiesa di Santa Margherita d’Antiochi. In the front of the plaza is a small beach and to the left is a walkway on the wing dam that protects the harbor. The boats are tied to the walkway on the wing dam.
Doria Tower
Standing in the plaza by the marina, I noticed a sign pointing up an alley that said something about a castle and I was curious. Four of us decided to find out what that was so we walked up a lot of steps through the alleyway and ended up at a ticket booth where a guy was selling entrance tickets to Castle Doria for 2 euros. We paid the two Euros and proceeded up into the castle.
The castle itself isn’t terribly impressive other than its location. It is built in the 11th Century as a defense against pirates. It was last used during World War II, when the Germans stationed anti-aircraft weapons there.
It mostly consists of a single tower and a stone platform. What makes it great is that it is perched on the side of the cliff next to Vernazza and makes for tremendous views. It not only provides a great view of Vernazza but you can also see Monterosso when looking North along the coast.
Chiesa Di Santa Margherita D’Antiochia
Following our trek to the top of Doria Tower, we walked across the plaza by the marina to take a look inside the Chiesa di Santa Margherita d’Antiochia.
The Chiesa di Santa Margherita D’Antiochia is a church built sometime around 1,300 AD. It is built directly on the marina in Vernazza. The church has gone through a series of renovations over the years, but still maintains a fairly rustic feel.
What I love about this church is the stone walls and the large stone archways holding up the wooden ceiling. I think the thing that is most striking about the church is what it lacks. You won’t see any of the giant stained glass windows, frescoes and statues that are so typical of European cathedrals and churches.
What you do notice are some plain crucifixes, some small shrines, and a fairly basic altar. There are some plain wooden pews lined in rows on a stone floor. It’s dimly lit and has only a couple of arched window openings, although without glass. It is precisely what I would imagine a pre-renaissance church to be like. It was truly a treat to visit.
Leaving too Early
After visiting the church, we stopped in for a drink at a bar by the marina. We took a table in the plaza and it was an lovely day to do so. Even though it was in November, the temperature was in the mid-60s, the sun was shining and there was very little wind. It was an ideal day to sit and enjoy a beer. We also snacked on some fried frutti di mare, which had a variety of fried octopus, squid, crab, and fish served like street food in a paper cup from one of the local shops.
After the drink and a snack we decided that we wanted to go to Monterosso for lunch so we hopped on the train to go there. That turned out to be something that we regretted a little. Monterosso is a bit of a beach town and I think visiting it in November probably isn’t seeing it when it’s at its best. Its lovely but in the end it just didn’t seem to have the same charm as Vernazza, and we quickly started to wish we had stayed a little longer in Vernazza.
Cinque Terre Should Be More Than A Day Trip
We only had three full days in Florence and we devoted one of those days to this day trip to Cinque Terre. I’m glad we went, but in the end, I think we really need to devote three days to Cinque Terre to fully appreciate it. We only visited two of the five towns and it felt rushed.
There is an old trail that connects the five towns and I would love to spend three days hiking between the towns and really getting to know each town more than what you can in just a few hours. Each town has it’s own unique character and breathtaking views of the Ligurian Sea.
If you plan to visit Cinque Terre, but you only have a single day, I would suggest that you pick just one town and really enjoy as much as you can. I thought Vernazza was a beautiful place, and would be a great choice if you were going to select just one town.
Cinque Terre itself, however, is one of those bucket list locations that any world traveler should visit. The old world charm, the beauty, and the fact that these amazing towns are precariously perched on hillsides overlooking the Mediterranean Sea demonstrate why this area is both a National Park and a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s just an amazing place to visit and I can’t wait to return.
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