Number 13 - Visit the villages of Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre means ‘five lands’ in Italian, and oh man are they beautiful. 

When I was planning my trip away many people asked me why I chose Italia, the truth is I’ve always dreamt of visiting Cinque Terre. Before the Instagram boom I saw a photo of of the brightly coloured houses balanced on cliff edges in a small Italian restaurant and promised myself I’d visit one day. 

Cinque Terre is situated in the Liguria region of Italy and known as the Italian riviera. The towns include Monterosso el Mare the original fishing village, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. 

Each of the five villages has its own unique charm, Monterosso by the beach. 

Vernazza with its beautiful piazza by the bay. 

Corniglia the only one of the five not on the coast, but with the most amazing view out to the coastline and of the rows and rows of olive trees.  

Monterosso 

Vernazza

Corniglia 

Manarola with the iconic view we’re all so familiar with of pastel houses high in the cliffs.

Riomaggiore with the most amazing spot for sunset and the brightest houses right by the waters edge. 

Manarola 

Manarola 

Riomaggiore 

On my first day I was giddy with excitement and ventured out to Monterosso, the only one of the 5 villages on the beach, I found an amazing little spot by the cliffs where I sat on a rock and marvelled at the crashing waves. 

I stayed in the small town Levanto just outside of the five villages and you can easily get to each by train. 

Levanto 

Levanto 

You can also hike through the 5 villages of Cinque Terre and it takes about 3 days but unfortunately when I visited many of the trails were closed. But that didn’t stop me and I was able to hike from Monterosso halfway to Vernazza. The trail of stone steps and rugged path along the cliff side was truly beautiful.

It’s safe to say I truly fell in love with this part of Italy, not just for the views and perfect picturesque scenery, but because of the amazing humble and friendly inhabitants and the amazing food. 

Luca is a local who owns a small boat, which I was lucky to go out on to see the Riomaggiore view from a different perspective.

The local food specialities are seafood with the freshest catch of the day, freshly baked focaccia and pesto made with locally produced extra virgin olive oil. 

It was just like I dreamed it would be.