Discover the
Five Lands, Endless Beauty
Five colourful villages perched on the Italian Riviera, connected by scenic trails, seaside views and timeless charm.
Explore the VillagesThe Five Villages—Each village has its own personality and charm.
This 360° panorama was captured on the harbour front at Vernazza, one of the five villages of the Cinque Terre on the Ligurian coast of Italy.
The camera stands on the concrete slipway at the head of Vernazza harbour, with small boats pulled up around it and more moored off. This is the only natural harbour in the Cinque Terre, which is why the village exists at all. Ahead the houses rise straight out of the quay in ochre, pink and dusty red, four and five storeys, with the lights coming on in the bars at the bottom. On the point to the right the church stands out over the water, its bell tower square against the sky, and above the village a stone tower sits on the hill behind. Turn the other way and there is a wall of tumbled boulders protecting the harbour mouth, and then open sea.
The Cinque Terre is one of Italy's most renowned vacation destinations. This area in the northwest region of the country consists of five charming fishing villages that are perched on hillsides and cliffs along one of the world's most dramatic coastlines.
So special is this area in Italy that it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Once a rather unknown destination, this formerly “undiscovered Eden” now welcomes throngs of travellers, especially on summer weekends.
What is the appeal? Quite simply, the five different villages almost seem to have been plucked out of the past and are true scenic delights. It gets better when you also consider the area's scenic cliffs, hidden coves, tempting beaches, and network of walking trails that afford plunging views down to the Mediterranean Sea.