Not to miss - the gorgeous rocky coast of Italy's Cinque Terre

The second country we visited on my 9 week trip through Europe was Italy. Our first destination in Italy was Cinque Terre, a section of the coast composed of 5 towns. One can either do a day hike along the stunning blue ocean and stop in each village along the way, or there is a train that stops in each town. We stayed in the town Riomaggiore. "The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site." - wikipedia

Here are my pictures from our two day stay and hike in gorgeous Cinque Terre. Let me know what you think or if you've been!

A view of the town where we stayed, Riomaggiore

Another view



Riomaggiore





Manarola is the second town you'll hit if coming from Riomaggiore.


The two above pictures are of Vernazza, which is built out on a jutting rock and has a lookout tower. Before Vernazza (if coming from Riomaggiore) is Corniglia, the only town of the 5 that is not built right on the coast but up a very long flight of stairs at the top of the hill.


You pass through many vineyards on the hike

...and lots of beautiful coastline


Monterosso al Mare, the most resort like town along the trail. Monterosso is at one end, and Riomaggiore, where we stayed, is at the other, so we started at Riomaggiore and finished at Monterosso.



Here's a list of all my posts from our travels that I've published -

Spain
•Introduction to my European backpacking trip and a list of places we visited
• Galicia - Baiona and Isle de Cies
• Galicia - the coast, some charming vineyards, and Pontevedra
• Santiago de Compostela and gorgeous hidden beaches
• Gorgeous mountain lakes of Picos de Europa
• Stunning mountains - Picos de Europa
• Bilbao and San Sebastian
• Beautiful Barcelona
• The amazing Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona
• Art Nouveau dream house by Gaudi in Barcelona