Last year I was on a trip to Italy and I had the privilege to see some of it’s most beautiful sights like Rome, Florence, Verona, Maranello and Venice. But Italy is a country where every little village has it’s charm and I would love to have the pleasure of enjoying more of it. So if I get the chance to go again, this is on the top of my list:
Cinque Terre – The Five Lands of Color
Cinque Terre, which means Five Lands, cincludes five small coastal villages located in the Italian region of Liguria. Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia,Vernazza and Monterosso are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Riomaggiore
This is the most southern of the 5 cities. It has the tipical colorful houses and an ancient stone castello. During the day you can see the sunlight reflected in the water and hear bell towers chiming. At night the sight becomes a little surreal as small boats go night fishing for anchovies and other fish using lights to attract the fish.
Manarola
This small town is filled with boats of all kinds that line the main street. It has the best gelateria of all the towns: 5 Terre Gelateria e Creperia. Yummy! It also has a charming little swimming area, plenty of caves and coastline to explore with beautiful underwater rocks.
Corniglia
Corniglia is smaller and quieter, but it looks just as fantastic as the other towns. Unlike the other cities of the Cinque Terre, Corniglia is not directly adjacent to the sea. It is situated on the top of a 100 metres high hill, surrounded by vineyards, terraces and a steep slope that ends at the sea. The town is a little different from the other villages: the houses are lower set, and only the more recently built are higher.
Vernazza
This is the next town to the north. It has a spectacular trail that goes along the sea and offers a great backwards views of both Corniglia and Manarola. They say Vernazza is bright and cheerful. It presents its visitors with a cool night scene, clock towers,the usual boats and a nice beach.
Monterosso
It is actually comprised of two cities, which are connected by a short road tunnel. The ‘old’ town is Monterosso and the new town, Fegila, that has many modern apartments, hotels, a large sandy beach with lots of colourful umbrellas, and cosy looking beach-side restaurants and cafes. The old town is identical to the other Cinque Terre towns, though it is bigger, not that steep and has a number of boutiques and other shops.
Manon's maze 