A DAY IN VERNAZZA
MOORING AT THE MARINA AND VISITING A PAINTING: A DAY IN VERNAZZA
Have you ever looked at something and seen so much beauty that you couldn’t believe your eyes? If you have never experienced this sensation, it’s time to visit Vernazza.
docking …
There are many ways to reach Vernazza: by train, by car or on foot, through the famous Cinque Terre paths. But the most suggestive way is to arrive from the sea: rent a boat, set sail and, after a short stretch, finally see the port. The small port of Vernazza is a natural inlet made up of a strip of land that embraces a small stretch of sea. Just at that point, where the water is low and calm, a series of tiny boats float placidly on the surf of the wave. Just look up to see the eternal, bright rainbow of the tower houses, set on the promontory, to welcome you in the vivid picture that portrays the Cinque Terre.
… looking around …
Enter the picture in silence, as if you were part of it. Enter the town square, called “u cantu de musse”, that is “the corner of chatter”, where every moment of the day is good for having a coffee and spending time together. Stop for a moment and order a glass of Vernaccia, a wine of local production for which the village was already famous in Roman times. Before continuing your walk, take a look around: you will see a huge variety of colors. In fact, right in the square where you are, 60 artists from all over the world gathered in the past to repaint the village, badly damaged by the flood of 2011. It is just like that: you are walking in an open-air painting.
From the square several roads and “harpies” unfold, long stairways that climb the hill. Take one of these and you will arrive at Doria Castle, which has now become the symbol of Vernazza. Take another one and you will find yourself in front of the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Reggio, dedicated to the Black Madonna brought up to Italy – according to legend – by the Crusaders.
… and not believing your eyes …
Now that you are at the top, in front of a panorama that extends to Corsica and the Maritime Alps, make this attempt: despite the charm, try to believe your eyes.
