Benefit Art Auction

“Even Paradise Needs a Gardener” Save Vernazza’s Turisti nei Cian (Tourists in the Wild) Voluntourism Project welcomed 1090 participants in 135 excursions in 6 seasons from 2013 through 2018.  Save Vernazza connected travelers to local guides and farmers to restore vineyards, rebuild stonewalls, and harvest grapes in Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy.  Thanks to our partnership…

In September 2012, Save Vernazza organized a student volunteer weekend with students from Syracuse University studying abroad in Florence. Save Vernazza founder Michele Lilley led the students on a guided hike from Corniglia to Vernazza. The walk explained the importance of maintaining the territory (with terraced hillsides and stonewalls necessary for agriculture) to preserve Vernazza’s…

In July 2012, Save Vernazza, in partnership with the Unione Parmense degli Industriali, restored the Chapel of Santa Marta in Vernazza, including building a new roof. The chapel, an important place for residents to gather and worship, was completely buried in mud and debris on October 25, 2011. We now refer to it as “the…

In 2014, Save Vernazza launched “Wine & Food Discovery” to give travelers the opportunity to “TASTE OUR TERRITORY” and highlight the importance of winemaking to landscape preservation.   With a glass of wine in hand, on Gianni Franzi’s Deck in Vernazza, surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and an amazing landscape, local wine producers shared their…

Save Vernazza, Busabout and TreadRight Foundation have contributed to the project to build five dry stonewalls and restore the surrounding land in the Chiappa Valley (above the train station) which was completely destroyed by flooding and landslides. This project creates security for the town since the finished walls minimize the threat of additional landslides. Local…

Since 2018, Save Vernazza has partnered with other local non-profits and tourism organizations to work on advocacy issues such as quality of life, overtourism, and the environment in the Cinque Terre. On March 19, 2019, the Committee of Cinque Terre Associations (including Save Vernazza) held a conference called “DESTINATION CINQUE TERRE”. This was the first…