Vernazza

Vernazza is for many the most beautiful of the Cinque Terre, and the only one of the five villages with a natural harbour. Its pastel houses press tightly around a small seafront piazza where fishing boats are pulled up beside cafe tables, framed by the seafront Church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia with its octagonal bell tower and, on the rocky spur above, the remains of the medieval Doria Castle. Visitors come to wander the single main street, Via Roma, that runs down to the harbour, to swim from the little beach and rocks, to climb the castle's Belforte tower for the iconic aerial view down onto the harbour, and to eat seafood at the waterside tables. A visit takes around half a day. The Doria tower charges a small fee and is the single best viewpoint in the village; the other classic photograph is taken from the start of the coastal trail towards Corniglia, looking back over the whole harbour and church. Vernazza is reached by the Cinque Terre Express train and, in summer, by ferry, which gives a memorable approach from the sea. The village is tiny and fills quickly: it is busiest from late morning to mid-afternoon, when day-trippers and cruise passengers pour off the trains, so the calmest and most photogenic times are early morning and the hour around sunset, or by staying overnight. Soft early or late light on the pastel houses and harbour is what draws photographers to this corner of eastern Liguria. Vernazza sits midway along the Cinque Terre, an easy train hop from Monterosso, Corniglia and the rest.