I am so looking forward to returning to Cinque Terre in a few weeks as it is one of the most beautiful coastline areas in the world. I was lucky enough to be there for the first time last May, before the devastating mudslides from last October.
Each of the five villages is unique and my first few of Vernazza was from high above as I was walking along the Cinque Terre trail.
Now Vernazza is working hard to come back and restore itself to its charm and beauty from the days before the torrential rains which led to massive flooding and mudslides.
I am always interested in the latest updates on the area and I am happy to hear that Monterosso, the other village that was badly damaged, is almost completely back to normal with hotels and restaurants open for business. This is so important to this area as they depend so highly on tourism to sustain.
Vernazza will take a lot longer although they have made progress too, according to reports from people I know that have recently been there. They are making changes in infrastructure there so that this will not happen again.
The Save Vernazza website regularly posts updates on the progress and their Travel Advisor page posts the current status of hotel accommodations /guest houses as well as bars and restaurants. I am very encouraged to read here that at least nine of the hotel/guest houses are up and running and 13 more scheduled to reopen May 1st. That is such good news both for the community as well as visitors looking forward to visiting this amazingly beautiful place on the Ligurian coast of Italy.
I will be seeing it by boat this time, highly recommended by Debra Kolkka from Bagni di Lucca and Beyond, as the best way to see the Cinque Terre. I will also be able to stop in several of the villages, hopefully including Vernazza and Monterosso. I hope to be able to shoot some fantastic photos. Stay tuned!
brian50plus
We visited this area a few years ago and have some great memories, one of which was having a lovely evening meal in a restaurant in Vernazza, possibly even the one in your photo behind the boats. Some great images and enjoy your trip there. Look forward to hearing about it.
imarancher
I am hoping we will see some side by side follow up pics on the restoration post flooding. This area is just priceless in beauty and history. Does anyone remember a book from the 60’s called, “Coffee, tea or me?” It was a story of several stewardesses and their lives. I loved the Italian girl and her love of satin sheets and silk unmentionables. I had a Navy beau of mine send me several sets of pj’s and found that Italian girls had much wider hips and much narrower waists and legs than I had. What a surprise! I had long suspected I was not model material and this proved it. Whether building stairs or fishing boats that last for centuries or undies for pretty girls, you can rely on the Italians to produce works of beauty.