Vernazza Castle, Castle in Vernazza, Italy

Vernazza Castle, also called Castello Doria, is a medieval fortress on a rocky spur about seventy metres high on the south side of Vernazza's harbour in the Cinque Terre. Its plan is irregular, following the shape of the rock, and its present form results from centuries of additions. The cylindrical tower stands at the centre of the terrace and was restored in the twentieth century.

The first records of a castle at Vernazza date to the 13th century, though its core is thought to date to the 11th century under the Obertenghi. In the 12th century it passed to the bishops of Luni, then to the Da Passano marquises and later to the Fieschi counts, who ceded it with the village to the Republic of Genoa in the 13th century. Occupied that same century by the Pisans during the operations around the Battle of Meloria, in which Vernazza's sailors and ships took part, it soon returned to Genoese hands.

The castle now serves as a museum and exhibition venue. A bronze cannon inscribed "Comunitas Vernatiæ" was once kept here before English soldiers took it; it is now displayed in the British Museum in London. A chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, documented in 1470 and on an 18th-century plan, has left no trace.

The climb to the fortress follows steep stone steps from the harbor, so visitors should wear sturdy footwear and be in good physical condition. The best time to visit is between spring and autumn when weather is stable and the paths remain dry.

The cylindrical tower is the oldest surviving section and dates from the fortress's earliest days, while the surrounding walls were added later. From this ancient tower watchmen had an exceptional line of sight across the sea and could spot ships long before they reached the harbor.