Cinque Terre Italy

I would say anywhere in the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre (5 lands) is composed of 5 small villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Manarola, Corniglia, Riomaggiore. The Cinque Terre is a National Park and Unesco World Heritage site. They are tiny towns on cliffs overlooking the water…It’s like a piece of heaven. You can get there by train and they have great hikes between them. They are so nice and I would love to back. These towns are easy distance by train from Florence, Pisa and Tuscany. It is so relaxing and remote and the people are wonderful. I recommended going in the fall which is ... Read Full Story

While in Italy I want to vist both San Marino and Cinque Terre and then end up in Tuscany. I will be arriving in Venice. Should I take the train to San Marino first? Then train up to Cinque Terre? Or would it be better to train to Cinque Terre first? I want to be the most efficient with my time. Any suggestions/ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks Read Full Story

I went a bit overboard at sunset: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622726192848/ videos too! 5:00pm: sitting in the room with the windows open, listening to the sea slap against the breakwater and the people below enjoying a cloudy and drizzly but otherwise nice late afternoon while I snack on some olives. Started the day at Il Pirata again, this morning with a croissant bisected and stuffed with nutella. Went to catch a train around 9:30 to Riomaggiore but it was delayed 25 min. So it finally came at 10 and we started there. Riomaggiore is quaint with some lovely views. There was one shop in particular where a ... Read Full Story

including Monterosso, Corniglia, and Vernazza: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622590291715/ 9:25pm: Whew, long day! Renee finally made it in around 10:30pm last night and all was well. Still was raining on and off. This morning not long after 8, it was raining but we set off to the Il Pirata place at the top of town - it's owned by Sicilians but they make pastry there OH DO THEY MAKE PASTRY. I had a "twist" of flaky pastry and nutella and a cappuccino. It was melt in your mouth. Renee had a croissant filled with lemon cream. The problem is that they offered us a "latte" which is ... Read Full Story

Manarola from the hiking trail The Cinque Terre region of Italy is one of the most beautiful spots in the country. Cinque Terre means “Five Lands” in Italian and is a collection of five small villages nestled into the cliffs on the Ligurian Sea. The villages were founded on agriculture and fishing, but now survive with the help of tourists dollars. Cinque Terre is an easy day trip from Florence, Pisa or Milan (Pisa is the closest airport), but you should plan at least two days on the shortest trip, and more like 4-5 if you really want to relax. There’s not a whole ... Read Full Story