Cinque Terre, Italy

Before coming abroad, multiple people demanded that I visit the Cinque Terre in Italy. Cinque Terre

is a compilation of 5 small (& beautiful) towns on the north-western coast of Italy.

Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Monterosso and Riomaggiore are the 5 villages that make up the Cinque Terre. We decided to do a day trip with a company that provided us transportation and lunch for the day. All of us jumped on the tour bus at 7:45 in the morning and drove about 2 hours to the coast.

Upon arrival we hiked up through Manarola to our restaurant in Corniglia for lunch. We were given a seafood starter and famous pesto risotto while overlooking the coast. Following lunch, we began our 3 mile hike through the mountains and along the coast to get to the next town.

Our day was blessed with beautiful weather of sunny and mid-60s. The hike was so beautiful and took us twice as long just because we had to stop and take pictures every 3 steps.

When we finished our hike we ended up in the town of Vernazza. With some free time, we went by the coast and got gelato. The village we were in had a famous gelato flavor, which was absolutely amazing.

Due to landslides, not all the trails were open for hiking. So, in order to get to the next town we took a couple minute train ride to Monterosso al Mare. Monterosso is a town that has an old part but also a new part, which very closely resembles a beach town in California. The village lined a beautiful beach between the mountains and had one road filled with palm trees and quaint outdoor restaurants and bars.

After spending an hour or so in Monterosso drinking the famous Cinque Terre white wine on the beach, we took one last train to our last town for the day. Riomaggiore was our last stop for the day. Our tour group provided us with a glass of wine at a restaurant with on a cliff overlooking the coast. With a perfect view at the best time of day, it was a great end to the trip and a great beginning to spring break.