This may be the Italian Riviera, but the only Cinque Terre town with a wide swath of beach is Monterosso. In high season, rows of umbrellas in a rainbow of colors line the town’s spiaggia di Fegina, each hue demarcating a different beach club.

I opt to hike the three main routes from Vernazza: the Sentierro Azzurro (blue path) – north-west along the coast to the small town of Monterosso; the same coastal path south-east to Corniglia; and the “8” that snakes inland to Vernazza’s hilltop sanctuary.

Au centre de Monterosso, la façade de l’église de Saint-Jean-Baptiste offre à la vue des visiteurs un trésor architectural réputé en Italie : une rosace ouvragée en marbre de Carrare du XIVe siècle.