Cinq Terre

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On our last day in Italy we decided to go to Cinq Terre (Five lands) in the Ligurian region of Italy. There is a collection of small colourful pastel painted villages built into the steep rocky crevices. Some villages around this area are only reachable on foot. After reading much about the area and how to get around we decided to go to a major town called La Spezia and catch a boat up the coast passing each village on the way. One of the little villages the boat could not call into because the sea was a bit too choppy. After spending some time in the last village we then caught the train back towards La Spezia stopping off at a few of the villages on the way. The trip up the coast was quite refreshing with the sun beaming down on our faces against the sea breeze. Every so often a small amount of sea water sprayed through the air. Not enough to make us wet thankfully. The little roads inside some of the villages are very steep and extremely crowded with tourists. The trains were packed but it all added to the fun of getting from one village to the next one. The area has been designated a national park and walkers can purchase a ticket to walk along the coastal route to each of the villages. A walk from Manarola to Cornigula ends with a walk up 368 steps. Some of the walks can be quite steep but the views are spectacular. The five villages are called. Monterosso al Mare Vernazza Corniglia Manorola Riomaggiore. Each village is quite picturesque some are very steep and the houses cut into the rugged rock face. We had a beautiful time here although I doubt I would go again especially during the summer months it would be too crowded for my liking. This is a very beautiful area to visit and well worth the effort. The photo is taken from the boat. You can see how pretty the villages appear.