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Vernazza, Italy, may be the most beautiful of all Cinque Terre villages, set perfectly in a tiny valley on the edge of the sea, with colorful homes built one on top of the next and framed by a couple of churches and towers.
The buildings have been standing for many centuries and they’re not going anywhere, so take your time, explore the little side alleys, and yes, there are going to be staircases. After all, these are hill-towns, so there are hardly any flat, level surfaces here, but it’s easy enough.
You will be snapping away with your digital machine no doubt, capturing nice memories to remind you years hence about what a joy this was, but no picture can equal the visceral thrill of being in such a stimulating place, so don’t let that camera get in the way or divert you from fully experiencing the moment. Spend a few minutes just looking, and nothing else.
It's fun just to hang out in the village for a while and do little people watching and observe the different buildings and the folks hanging out.
This walk up the hillside is really quite easy. Don't be alarmed by the stairs and elevation. You can see a lot of it is quite level and right away you get a rewarding view, this happens it within your first 10 minutes of walking up they'll you could go up higher.
Manarola spills down the hill to the waterfront, its houses packed solidly together in the typical pattern of the region, with terraced hillsides for the grapes up above.
They don’t have a beach but there is a boat ramp carved into the stone, the most popular spot around for it functions like a beach, packed with sunbathers. The ramp leads to a cove with good swimming, further protected by a stone jetty, and ladders to help people get in and out of the water.
There’s no room to put the boats in the water so they are stored up on dry land, on a ramp and along the main street as well.
There are quite a few local residents who like to hang out, sit on the bench, chat with their friends and do some people-watching. Tourists love to look at the locals, and locals equally enjoy looking back at the tourists.