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Vernazza is certainly a most charming little village. You can see it at it’s best early in the morning, when there’s mostly locals up and about, rather than the hordes of tourists who flock there during the day.
The main square, Piazza Marconi, is a meeting place for locals and tourists alike. Just off the piazza is Chiesa di Santa Margherita dÁntiochia, or Santa Margherita church. Originally built in 1318, the Romanesque Genovese-style church was constructed out of stone quarried at nearby Punta Mesco. In the 16th century, the building was extended using grey stone.
The church’s octagonal clock tower (or campanile) dominates the village skyline, and it’s clock strikes to remind locals and visitors of the time. A bell tower sits to the left of the clock tower.
Inside the church, the main source of light is the three arched windows which face the harbour. The interior walls are dark stone, so it can take a minute or so for your eyes to adjust to be able to see properly. There’s a distinctly medieval feel about this church, which is quite refreshing, as it’s been kept that way on purpose.
With it’s stone interior, the church is extremely plain in comparison to many other Italian Catholic churches. The altar is off limits to tourists. Flowers are refreshed daily by the dedicated church community. Freshly grown flowers are plentiful along the Cinque Terre coastline.
It’s customary to light a candle and say a prayer in silence. As my Dad’s passing had been part of the reason I went on my trip to Italy, I lit a candle in many churches and said a quiet prayer for him. Hope he was listening! 🙂
Beneath the church, there’s an ancient cave, where the young people gather in the evenings to chat, laugh and drink. The red and grey building above the church is the village primary school.
The cave beneath the church is located to the left in this photo. You walk across a low path above the rocks at low tide to reach the cave.
If you don’t mind climbing stairs, there’s plenty of different viewpoints where you can see the church from a different angle.
The view above Vernazza – after we climbed many many sets of stairs. The inter-village train line can be seen on the left of the photo, above the harbour.
This church is definitely worth a visit when you travel to Vernazza.
The Besties Do Italy series details how Seize The Day Project’s Lyndall and her long time best friend ventured to Italy to celebrate a significant birthday – sans husbands and children. Shhh, don’t tell anyone they’ve gone!
Read more posts in this fascinating series here:
Positano, you stole a little piece of my heart
Exploring Lake Como: The Greenway Walk
Eternal Rome: I only just met you, but I think I love you
Some Enchanted Evening in Venice
The journey to Cinque Terre: When things didn’t go according to plan
Linking up with My Brown Paper Packages for #WednesdayWanderlust
So beautiful – I love the staircase….
There are hundreds of gorgeous staircases like this one, all over the Cinque Terre towns. It helped us work off the pasta and gelati! 🙂
One of the things I loved about the Cinque Terre was listening to the church bells ring out across the towns.
Thanks for joining in #wednesdaywanderlust
Yes Malinda – those church bells certainly add to the atmosphere of the beautiful Cinque Terre villages 🙂
Im surprised the altar is quite plain compared with other European churches- it definitely has a medieval feel to it!
Hi Natalie – Yes, we were surprised by the plainness of the altar too, but it was refreshing to see after the opulence of so many others we’d visited 🙂
Wow! That church has been there for a long time. I bet it has seen it share of storms. Like the views from above. The cave looks interesting and creepy at the same time.
Yes Ruth, the church is incredibly old. I’m sure it could tell a tale or two. We didn’t venture into the cave… 😉
Sad the reason for your trip, but Italy is such a gorgeous place. You have some great pics!
Thanks Zita. Dad was there with me every step of the way – he had Italian heritage, so the trip was a tribute to him in a way. I’ve tried to comment on your #WednesdayWanderlust posts, but you don’t seem to have a comment box at the bottom. Am I missing something? 🙂
Lyndall your photos of Italy are just divine. I so want to go there, particularly Cinque Terre. It is in my bucket list alongside a Mediterranean cruise.
Thanks Kathy. I loved Italy and can’t wait to go back. The Cinque Terre is as magical as I thought it would be. If you go there, be sure to stay in one of the little villages, rather than just doing a day visit, as the best times to experience them are early morning and evenings – after the day trippers have gone. I’d also highly recommend doing at least one of the walks – there’s a blog post coming up soon on it … stay tuned! 🙂 Oh, and that Mediterranean Cruise sounds fabulous too!