Vernazza is one of the 5 small towns that make up Cinque Terre on the Italian east coast. It’s also the place Luca, the Disney movie, was based off of and it is the most breathtaking place I’ve been so far.
2 Days, 3 Nights
I spent a very short time in this quaint, hillside town, but it was just enough for me to relax after the craziness of the previous cities. I spent my mornings eating breakfast on the pier, overlooking the ocean and reading books until noon. Then I climbed the 111 steps to my airbnb (which was totally worth it for the view pictured above), where I either napped or sat on the balcony. I got lunch from town and brought it up with me. My favorite dish was focaccia, which was kind of like a sandwich, but the bread was very unique and it was filled with pesto, mozzarella, and tomatoes. It was so good, I got it twice.
In true vacation fashion, the streets were pretty empty until the afternoon, so when the people came out, I went away to have some time to myself. Then I came out again to watch the sunset and eat gelato for dinner (yes, I did that all 3 nights). This was very much a honeymoon destination, so all the couples would watch the sunset then go out to dinner which left me alone on the pier to watch the stars. I can’t believe there weren’t more people out there because the stars were endless, and I sat there watching them for hours. I even got up at 5:30 a.m. on the day I left so that I could go see them one last time.
Overall
This short trip was very needed. I absolutely love the ocean, so it was good for me to just be able to sit there and process being on my own for the first time. The scenery was stunning, the people were very friendly, and there were a lot of cats! I’m glad I got to experience Vernazza on my own, but I definitely want to bring some other people here one day, and maybe explore the other towns in Cinque Terre.