Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy Jun 9, 2026

Vernazza is a small seaside town in Cinque Terre, in Italy"s Liguria region. Built around the area"s only natural harbour, it has long been tied to the sea. First recorded in 1080 as a fortified settlement and maritime base, it later became part of the Republic of Genoa"s coastal defences. To this day, the village preserves its past in the ruins of Doria Castle and the watchtowers overlooking the bay. At the water"s edge stands the Church of Santa Margherita d"Antiochia, first mentioned in 1318 and expanded in later centuries, with a bell tower overlooking the port. Above the houses and narrow lanes, steep terraces support vineyards and olive groves, shaped by generations of stonework in a landscape protected within Cinque Terre National Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Picture an aperitivo here: a glass of local white wine, the harbour in view and Ligurian favourites like focaccia and basil pesto—basically a postcard you can taste.

© Kelly Cheng/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Rising with the sun
A very public display of affection
Jun. 9, 2024Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Navarra, Spain
Jun. 9, 2025Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr. 22, 2024Earth Day
Incan ingenuity
Oct. 6, 2023Taughannock Falls State Park, New York
Jul. 4, 2025Skipper butterfly on an Echinacea flower
Sep. 7, 2023Toronto International Film Festival
Jan. 27, 2025Zoroaster Temple, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
Oct. 24, 2023Füzér Castle in the Zemplén Mountains, Hungary
Dare to tread through the fairy flower?
Jul. 20, 2024International Moon Day
Oct. 4, 2024Nuit Blanche Toronto
Where two continents meet
This snow will never melt
Chasing summer in the art world
A curious little otter pup
Jul. 28, 2024Colourful bathing huts on the beach in Skåne County, Sweden
Postcard from the Canadian Rockies
Oct. 15, 2024Great wildebeest migration at Mara River, Kenya
May 30, 2026Plains zebra foal in Etosha National Park, Namibia
Oct. 5, 2023World Teachers Day
Dad on duty
Feb. 1, 2026Colourful house in Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil
9,000-year-old handprints
Sep. 2, 2024Milky Way over the Elbow River in southern Alberta
Sep. 12, 2024World Dolphin Day
Jan. 27, 2026Dalmatian pelicans, Lake Kerkini, Greece
Sep. 7, 2025Gdańsk on the banks of the Motława river, Poland
Aug. 5, 2024Lavender field, Hertfordshire, England
Mar. 28, 2026African buffalo, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
Oct. 8, 2025World Octopus Day
This magical beach is worth the hike