Vernazza Cinque Terra

I will be bringing my elderly parents and want to make sure it is a safe and pleasant place for them to stroll and not too loud and hectic with construction. We won't be hiking the trails but instead taking a private boat trip to see the Cinque Terre towns from the water. Thank you for your reply.

Adriana, Vernazza is fairly "compact" so there isn't a lot of area to stroll, other than through the narrow passages in the centre of town. When I was there last September, there were a few Bobcats and other small vehicles parked near the station underpass, but I didn't see any larger equipment. One other thing to consider is that many of the small B&B's in Vernazza are accessed by lots of stairs, so that may be a problem for your elderly parents. If you want more "strolling" options, you could also consider staying in Monterosso. It's a larger town and the ocean front promenade between the new town and old town is mostly level, so it's an easy walk. Monterosso also has the nicest sandy beaches of the five towns, and the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and shops. Perhaps you could stay in your "namesake" hotel, Villa Adriana (it's at the far end of the new town). Taking the boat from Monterosso is also a bit simpler, as if you wanted to see Monterosso from the water, you'd have stop there and then backtrack by train to get back to Vernazza. If you have the time, you might consider a day trip by boat to Porto Venere. It's a beautiful and somewhat posh small town. Cheers!

I was there last Sept. and I thought it was fine. There are a very few places closest to the harbor that were under construction last Sept. and I would think they are done by now. Can you go onto google maps and look at street scenes today or recently to see what it looks like?
I love Vernazza.

Adriana, I was through that area in June, but didn't stop in Vernazza this time. I was also there last September and didn't notice a lot of construction going on other than "routine" work. What is your concern? All of the five towns are fully open for business (although not all of the trails are currently open). Cheers!

I agree with Ken. Vernazza is the best place for strolling; especially if you're older. I'm in my mid-60's and prefer Monterosso. There are wonderful and somewhat easy trails throughout the town. It's also a very easy place to catch the boats to the other town in Cinque Terre. Make sure you take it all the way to Portovenere and plan on spending a couple of hours there. Not to be missed! We've been to Cinque Terre 3 times and keep returning. In fact, we will be there next May for the Lemon Festival once again.

My family and I stayed in Vernazza July 29-31 and there was no construction going on in the town. If you are there on a Tuesday, the traveling open market is there on that day and then moves on to another town the next day. Il Pirata (authentic Sicilian pastries)and Ristorante "Al Castello" (good pasta and free Lemoncello w/ RS book)are two places we ate at and would definitely recommend. Next to Il Pirata is a coin-op laundry, that you can do your laundry at while enjoying a drink, pastry and free wi-fi. We stayed at Manuela's apt. which was on the third floor of the same building that is adjacent to the restaurant and laundry. There is a small elevator that residents and vistors use. Very convienent to town and train station. We loved Vernazza!

Thank you, everyone, for your extremely helpful replies!

I was there this past June and it was pretty much construction free. The only sign of the flood was the memorial wall they have by the train station with pictures from the flood. Everything else between the train station and the harbor was up and running. I was also there about 10 years ago and besides the pictures of the flood on the wall by the train station, the rest looked the same as last time. I would definately go there and enjoy it, we did!!

We were in Vernazza and Monterossa this past July and did not see any construction. Both places, however, were JAMMED with tourists. There were so many people that walking fast was not always possible. Vernazza is smaller and the streets are more narrow than in Monterossa, Buon viaggio,

Thank you again for all your wonderful replies!