Vernazza Harbor, Cinque Terre

A Postcard Harbor in the Cinque Terre

This camera looks out over Vernazza's tiny natural harbor, one of the few genuine ports along the rugged Cinque Terre coastline. Pastel-colored houses climb the hillside above a scatter of small fishing boats and a stone breakwater that shelters the water from the open sea.

Santa Margherita di Antiochia

Dominating the foreground is the octagonal bell tower of the Church of Santa Margherita di Antiochia, built directly on the water's edge in a style unusual for Ligurian churches. On the promontory above, to the left, sit the ruins of the Doria Castle, the village's medieval watchtower.

Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Vernazza is one of five villages that make up the Cinque Terre National Park, inscribed alongside Portovenere and the surrounding islands on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the distance, the Punta Mesco headland separates Vernazza from neighboring Monterosso al Mare.