Vernazza, a jewel on the Ligurian coastline, is a town in a scenic, somewhat isolated area of Italy:  Cinque Terre (Five Lands).  A string of 5 towns which dot the western coastline near Tuscany, charming Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage site and part of Cinque Terre National Park.  The rugged coastline makes it nearly impossible for visitors to reach any of the towns by car, so the journey takes place by train, boat, or on foot via the Sentiero Azzurro (Light Blue Trail) between the five towns: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterroso al Mare.  On one trip to Italy, I had the fortune to hike between 4 of the 5 towns myself.

After harrowing hairpin curves on the coastal road from La Spezia, we arrived at the first town of Riomaggiore and left the car in the parking garage.  The walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola was uneventful and perhaps my least favorite part of the hike.  Boats lined the streets of Manarola, a cute town – but it was time to move on and up the 370 steps to Corniglia, where we had a lovely lunch of gnocchi con pesto, antipasto di mare and spaghetti con pomodori at a table overlooking the sea.  I had heard so many wonderful things about this coastline, but I still couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about until our next hike to Vernazza, which was stunningly beautiful (both the hike and the town).  The hiking was definitely more strenuous, with narrow, somewhat dangerous paths, but with views to die for.

It wasn’t long before I fell in love with the terraced land, the pastel-colored buildings hanging on the sides of cliffs, the old men fishing in the bay filled with brightly-hued boats, and young people sunbathing on the rocks enjoying il dolce far niente (“the sweetness of doing nothing”).  Gelato and a lovely glass of white wine were hard-earned rewards for our hike, further enhanced by a glorious sunset.  We loved the locally bottled wine so much that we bought a few bottles to bring back to Tuscany – somehow it never tasted the same as it did that day.  Dinner at the Blue Marlin introduced us to the sounds of Baka Beyond, a CD I bought as soon as I returned home from our Italian adventure.  My only regret was that we did not overnight there, but I vowed to come back, something I have yet to do.

I was stunned to learn that on October 25, the towns of Vernazza and Monterroso al Mare were devastated by flooding and mudslides caused by torrential rains.  I couldn’t imagine the colorful buildings and lovely little paths destroyed until I saw the video.  I was particularly saddened to learn that 9 people were killed in the disaster.

I know that it may be a while before these towns can rebuild, but these are a resilient people who, historically, have been accustomed to hardships and foreign invasions.  They will restore their beautiful homes and visitors will once again be sipping wine by the sea.  I hope I’m one of them.

For information on how to help, please visit Save Vernazza.

One response to "My Lovely Vernazza…"

• 
  tara says:

  on 15 Dec 2011 at 11:53 am

  
  

  The tranquility of this picture (boats…) makes the shock and devastation of the recent trauma in Vernazza seem impossible and improbable. I would hope the citizens of Vernazza see this picture and regain a sense of security and peace.

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I am a freelance Food and Travel photographer, based in the foothills outside of Denver, Colorado. This blog is a way to share my passion for anything related to food, travel, and creativity. I hope you enjoy the images and musings, and feel free to comment and subscribe with the links below. Thanks for visiting!