Seaside Villages to the Extreme!

For those of you who are unaware, about two hour's north of Florence between La Spezia and Genoa on the Mediterranean coast are a selection of five small fishing villages.  Built straight upon the coastal cliffs, these five villages are collectively known as the Cinque Terre, loosely translated, surprisingly enough, as the Five Lands.

And they are without a doubt one of the most wonderful places I have visited on my 31 years on this planet.   Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore are the most spectacularly beautiful little places.  The Cinque Terre has been protected with UNESCO World Heritage status, so retain their charm - no cars, no modern hotels, just beautiful countryside.

Riomaggiore

We arrived last Thursday and had a place booked in Riomaggiore, the first of the five villages heading northward.  We spent the first afternoon and evening just taking in this cute little seaside village - the marina, the rocky beach, the restaurants, an absolutely wonderful experience.  Luckily coming in at the shoulder season meant that there weren't too many tourists around.  Unfortunately there had been some landslips recently, so the main coastal route between the villages has been shut off.

Monterosso al Mare

So the next day we decided to catch a train to the farthest village, Monterosso al Mare and work our way back by train.  Monterosso is probably the most touristy of the towns with a large beach, but still beautiful.  It has this impressive statue (click here - not our photo I hasten to add) and a wonderful castle with views out over the ocean.

Vernazza

Next along we came to Vernazza.  Here we took the castle (which was initially used to keep an eye on local pirates - exciting!), and now serves to provide fantastic views over the town.  Then down for lunch in town, with the local specialties - seafood, wine and basil pesto.  Life is difficult.

Corniglia

After lunch, we made our way to Corniglia.  It turns out that 365 steps, while giving great views, make for difficult climbing for weather in the high 20's.  However, this made for absolutely fantastic views of the town and surrounding coastline.  Plus some delicious gelato!

Manarola

Then onwards to Manarola.  By this time Nick and I were feeling rather overheated.  Manarola has some magnificent harbour rock pools which would be great for swimming, but with nowhere to change we just took in the views.  

So, after viewing all five villages, we headed back to Riomaggiore for the evening.  After an absolutely amazing swim in the Mediterranean sea (I went swimming in the Med!), we watched the sun go down over the horizon with shockingly beautiful colours, then had a seafood dinner down by the Marina.  What a way to finish our stay!

Off to Rome next.  Time to get historical up in hizzle!