The 2016 Legambiente and Touring Club Blue Guide with the most beautiful sea standings was issued: Vernazza enters among the top 10 places in a ranking led by Sardinia and Puglia
Vernazza holds aloft the Ligurian Sea in the ranking of the best beach resorts in Italy and – together with other 18 locations throughout Italy – earns the Cinque Vele – Five Sails – award, and find ist place in the Blue Guide – The most beautiful sea in 2016 published by the Italian Touring Club in collaboration with Legambiente.
Vernazza, unique location of the Ligurian Sea and the Cinque Vele Award in 2016
The village of the Cinque Terre is the only resort of the Ligurian Sea to obtain the highest award for 2016.
Not only Vernazza got full marks, but has found a place in the top ten of the ranking, dominated by Sardinian and Apulian sea locations.
An important award for a village that in 2011 – due to the disastrous floods that hit the area – had to start almost from scratch and rise from the mud (for example with the new beach … to which it would be denied access, but that is still popular).
The Five Sails and ranking of the Blue Guide: the criteria of the award
Without claiming to be a complete census of the Italian coast, but a tale of those locations that are considered the best 300 coastal towns of the country, the Blue Guide – La Guida Blu – selects and presents the marinas (and lakes) on the basis of criteria based on overall environmental quality and territory management.
In addition to the results of the analysis carried out by Goletta Verde – Legambiente campaign to monitor the sea environment with data collected together with various other tourist services databases – criteria such as natural beauty, good territorial management, excellent services, maintenance of city centers and gastronomic offer are taken into account.
Sardinia and Puglia queens of the list
Among the 19 resorts that have earned the Five Sails, beside Vernazza there are five Apulian and five sardinian locations.
On the first place on the list were placed Domus de Maria (Sardinia), followed by Pollica (Naples) and the Tuscan Castiglione della Pescaia. The ranking continues with Posada (Sardinia), the Sicilian Santa Marina Salina and San Vito Lo Capo, then Vernazza, Maratea, Capalbio, Otranto, Polignano a Mare, Bosa, Melendugno, Camerota, Baunei, Isola del Giglio, Castro, Santa Teresa di Gallura, Roccella Jonica.
The cover photo is by Marcello DiFrancesco
This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)