Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is a collection of 5 small villages all a total of 9km apart. From south to north the villages are: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. They are all beautiful and filled with homes built into the cliffs lining the seaside. There were some pretty breath-taking views and some of the clearest water I've ever seen. There is a hiking trail connecting the villages (which I hiked!) or you can take a train between them.

Riomaggiore: I stayed in this village, it felt like one of the bigger ones, but I'm not really sure. It had a nice collection of restaurants and the beach wasn't too crowded. My hostel was also only 1 staircase away from the water, so that was a definitely plus as well. It offered a great spot to sit and hang out with the people I met in my hostel at night.

Manarola: Probably my second favorite village. It was one of the smaller ones, but filled with shops and restaurants. I walked here to have dinner and watch the sunset my first night in the area.

Corniglia: This is the village that I explored the least. It is the only one not on the water and almost everything is further uphill than the train station. I blame my laziness for me never discovering what Corniglia has to offer.

Vernazza: My favorite village. The perfect size and home to the best gelato shop and bakery I found of the region. It felt more unique than the other villages with a large boat dock and what looked like the remains of a fortress.

Monterosso: My least favorite village, and also the only village with sandy beaches (the other beaches just have rocks). It feels like pure tourism here...I'll pass.

I met a lot of people that had been to Cinque Terre, some as many as 40 years ago. I don't konw much of the story behind it, but it was a great place. It's small enough to feel like a house and you run into the same people over and over again, which makes it really easy to meet people. Check out some photos:

Cinque Terre