Cinque Terre - The Ligurian Coast

This is the last installment of my Cinque Terre tour. I thought the incredibly beautiful and rugged coastline deserved a post of its own. I must have spent hours walking along this path, listening to the waves and taking in the light.

Cinque Terre - Monterosso

The fifth and final village in Cinque Terre is Monterosso, where I learned the valuable lesson "if life gives you lemons, make Limoncino".

Cinque Terre - Vernazza

The tour continues today with Vernazza, possibly the most picturesque of the five villages.

Cinque Terre - Manarola and Corniglia

A path that you can hike connects all five villages. The section between Riomaggiore and Manarola is called the "Via dell'Amore". The towns were very isolated until the last century and villagers rarely married someone from outside their own town. This trail opened up in the 1920s, after blasting through the cliffs for a rail line. It became a meeting point for lovers from the two villages.

It has become a tradition for lovers to close a padlock together on the railing or cable.


Here is the first glimpse of Manarola when coming from Riomaggiore.


"Main Street" Manarola.


Gelato-colored houses. Mmmmm. Gelato.


This is probably the most famous view in the Cinque Terre region. It is on the other side of Manarola, as you head towards Corniglia.




Corniglia is the smallest of the towns and sits 100 metres above the sea, surrounded by vineyards and terraces. Oh. And you have to climb 382 steps to get there. Or, you can cheat and take a bus.

Cinque Terre - Riomaggiore

I've been reliving last year's trip to Italy this week. So, I thought I'd take you on a little tour of Cinque Terre, the rugged and beautiful region of the Italian Riviera. The sight of these charming pastel homes, stacked so closely together as if to buttress each other as they cascade down the cliffs to the sea, is breathtaking and somewhat surreal. Riomaggiore is a lovely fishing village, and being a little less touristy than some of the other towns, I found it to be a great base to explore the area.

Laundry day

Even laundry seems enchanting in Italy. How can it be? Although you see these clotheslines everywhere in Italy, in Burano the experience is that much more intense because every inhalation is heavy with the intoxicatingly sweet smell of fresh laundry.