Cinque Terre Italy Travel Guide - Hike and Dive
If this summer you looking for your next traveling destination where you can hike the mountains as well as dive into to beautiful ocean. The Cinque Terre probably the best option to visit with your family and friends. This beautiful place in Italy is easily accessible from Pisa, Milan, and La Spezia, you can enjoy the attraction of Cinque Terre all by foot on hiking trails run along the clifs, boats and frequent trains. However, the hiking trails aren't just a leisurely stroll - some take you up thousands of stairs through private vineyards and residences and can be particularly brutal under the hot summer sun.
Cinque Terre means five mainland, is one of the locations are tucked away in a long list of UNESCO Heritage consisting of five villages, namely: Menterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. The area has avoided modern development and as result, has retained its unique Italian culture and natural beauty. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. The rugged villages of the Cinque Terre, founded by Dark Age locals hiding out from marauding pirates, were long cut off from the modern world.
Five Villages of Cinque Terre:
Monterosso is the beach stop. The only village of the 5 with a long beach stretching the length of it, and the only one that is built on moderately flat land.
Vernazza is the gem of the bunch with its perfectly placed cities and its caressing harbour protecting it from the breaking waves.
Corniglia is the tiniest of the 5 but definitely holding the title of the cutest. Perched atop a steep V shaped portion of mountain, it hugs the corners and the roads wind steeply upwards.
Manarolo is the old man of the group. He is the original village out of the 5 and has cascading wine terraces peeking out above the houses. It shares the famous pathway called La Via dell’Amore – The Way of Love – with its neighbour Manarolo. This pathway joined the two cities for better trading, but became a famous spot for the youth to mingle. Today you can see locks engraved with two lovers names alone the entire pathway.
Finally we have Riomaggiore. The city of Murals. Each wall is painted in a mural to depict the history of the people who live there; the wine growers, the fisherman, and the transporters. All brightly coloured.
Cinque Terre Inspiring Images
