Liguria · La Spezia
Vernazza
The middle village of the coast, the only one with a natural harbor, buried under four meters of mud in October 2011.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 41 min from Genoa
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 729
Known for
THE 2011 FLOOD
On 25 October 2011, 22 inches of rain in four hours buried Vernazza under four meters of mud; three died, the village was rebuilt over three years.
CASTELLO DORIA
Round eleventh-century Genovese keep above the harbor with the cylindrical Belforte watchtower, the defense post of the middle Cinque Terre.
TERRAZZAMENTI
Drystone-walled terraces above the village, part of the 1997 UNESCO listing, planted with Sciacchetrà and Vermentino vines.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J12°
- F14°
- M15°
- A18°
- M22°
- J26°
- J29°
- A30°
- S26°
- O21°
- N16°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 28° and coldest in February at 14°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Margherita di Antiochia, 20 July
Why come
Vernazza sits at sea level, the middle of the five villages along this stretch of coast and the only one with a natural harbor. The houses stack vertically up the gorge of the Vernazzola torrent, painted in faded ochres and pinks, with the square at the harbor marking the seaward end of Via Roma and the social center of the village. On 25 October 2011, a freak rainstorm dropped 22 inches of water in four hours.
The torrent burst its culvert and buried the main street under four meters of mud and debris. Three people died. The village was closed for months, and most of the houses on Via Roma had to be excavated to the second story before it reopened. The harbor, the fortified height above it, and the terraced slopes behind form a single working shape: a landing place guarded from above and fed from the terraces, all of it packed into a gorge narrow enough that a few hours of rain could bury the street from end to end.
Read on
Vernazza in our articles
The 6 best towns you can reach by train in the province of La Spezia6 towns, Vernazza among them.
The best towns with a World Heritage site within two hours of Genoa6 towns, Vernazza among them.
The prettiest villages in the province of La Spezia7 towns, Vernazza among them.
The best hidden coastal towns in the province of La Spezia9 towns, Vernazza among them.
What to see
Castello Doria
The keep and the Belforte tower stand over the harbor, built by the Doria as a defense against Saracen raids.
Chiesa di Santa Margherita d'Antiochia
Fourteenth-century church on a rock platform at the edge of the harbor, documented from 1318, the gothic anchor of the village.
Porto di Vernazza
The only natural harbor in the Cinque Terre, with a small pebble beach and a ferry pier serving the four other villages and Portovenere.
Piazza Marconi
Harbor square at the seaward end of Via Roma, the social center of the village and the point where the 2011 flood ended.
Terrazzamenti Cinque Terre
Drystone-walled terraces climbing 700 meters up the gorge above the village, part of the 1997 UNESCO World Heritage listing.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Vernazza fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Giochi Di Santa Margheritapatron saint's feast
usually held in July. Eventi Autentici Liguri (UNPLI Liguria calendar)
Vernazza In Vignafood festival
usually held in July. Eventi Autentici Liguri (UNPLI Liguria calendar)
The Sunday letter
Vernazza got its letter. One town every Sunday, free. The photo, the food, the festa.
Living here
- Population 729
- Remotei
- Pharmacy in town
- Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest airport Genoa, 1 h 50 min drive
- Regional capital Genova, 1 h 41 min drive
Common questions
- What is Vernazza known for?
- Vernazza is the middle village of the coast, the only one with a natural harbor, buried under four meters of mud in October 2011.
- Where is Vernazza?
- Vernazza is a comune in the province of La Spezia, in Liguria, at 3 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Vernazza?
- Genoa (GOA), about 1h 50m by car.
- Can you get to Vernazza without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Pisa to Vernazza?
- About 1h 42m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Vernazza?
- Best in Apr–Oct. August is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Vernazza?
- Yes. Giochi Di Santa Margherita and Vernazza In Vigna. July is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Vernazza?
- Framura, Monterosso al Mare and Portofino.
- How many people live in Vernazza?
- 729 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 3 m
- Population: 729
- Surface area: 12.3 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Similar
Towns like Vernazza
Framura
Province: La Spezia
both on the Ligurian coast · both under 1,000 people
Monterosso al Mare
Province: La Spezia
both on the Ligurian coast · both near sea level
Portofino
Province: Genova
both on the Ligurian coast · both under 1,000 people
Deiva Marina
Province: La Spezia
both on the Ligurian coast · both near sea level
Atrani
Province: Salerno
both under 1,000 people · both near sea level
Conca dei Marini
Province: Salerno
both under 1,000 people · both near sea level
🎨 Borghi più belli d'Italia
More Borghi più belli d'Italia towns in Liguria
Ameglia
Province: La Spezia
A hilltop borgo at 89 meters above the mouth of the Magra, the Lunigiana edge of Liguria where the river meets the Gulf of Poets.
Apricale
Province: Imperia
A medieval hill village in the Nervia Valley, named for the Latin apricus, sunny, with a tenth-century castle shaped like a lizard on the rock.
Badalucco
Province: Imperia
A medieval village wrapped in a bend of the Argentina torrent, with murals on its caruggi and a Slow Food bean on its terraces.
Borgio Verezzi
Province: Savona
Two villages joined under one comune in 1933: Borgio on the coast below, Verezzi on the pink-stone hill above.
Brugnato
Province: La Spezia
The medieval ecclesiastical capital of an inland Ligurian valley, seat of a diocese from 1133 to 1820, with a co-cathedral built over a Columban monastery.