Italy's Cinque Terre is comprised of villages featuring plenty of the attributes that make Italy so special. Cinque Terre is bursting with color as narrow, winding streets lined with rustic buildings move up and down its rolling hills. Cliffs give way to beaches with clear water, and fresh Italian cuisine is always within reach. These villages are filled with history, too.
Global travel personality Rick Steves says Vernazza is his favorite Cinque Terre village, and he has seen other visitors fall in love with it too. Steves points out Castello di Vernazza (or Doria Castle) as a particular highlight for this village's tourists. More of a tower than a castle, its nickname is Belforte, or "the place of loud screams," because of the warning shouts guardsmen would give if they saw potential invaders.
