Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is composed of five fishing villages with Italian names that just roll off the tongue, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Romaggio. The villages, all with stunning mountain and coastal views of the Ligurian Sea, date back from the early medieval period. Monterosso, the oldest, was founded in 643 AD, One can purchase a Cinque Terre card, which allows free train travel between the villages and access to the precipitous hiking trails. I spent the day going from village to village, utilising the 19th  century railway line, and exploring their narrow streets and alleys. Every now and then I would come across an ancient fort or an old castle or discover an illustrious, tiny parish church. I was staying in Vernazza and I finished the day trekking back there from Monterosso along the Sentiero Azzurro or Blue Trail. I was glad of my bushwalking experience with the Gold Coast Bushies as it was hatd going climbing up the slippery cliffsides on the narrow and rocky former mule path, but the rewards such as passing through the pocket sized terraced vinyards and pausing to gaze at the majestic views of the sea and the othet distant villages made the effort extremely worthwhile.