Eighteen kilometers of sheer rocky coastline in northern Italy, terraced hills and vineyards sloping steeply down to the sea. Among olive and chestnut groves on steep, rocky terrain overlooking the gulf of Genoa, the communities of Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, and Vernazza offer a glimpse into another time. These four little villages are built into the rocks between the beach and the hills. These rural hamlets, inaccessible by car, are an agricultural belt where garden and vineyard exist side by side. You can hike, swim, drink red wine, and watch blazing Mediterranean sunsets away from the tourist throngs in the Italian cities and the French Riviera. Centuries old footpaths and mule tracks wind about 500 to 1,000 feet above the sea. Together with their "city cousin" Monterosso, they're known as the Cinque Terre (five lands). The northernmost town, Monterosso, is the tourist hub of the region, with traffic, crowds, and the only notable glimpse of contemporary urban life here.

Each village has its own character and they are only a few minutes apart by train. There are almost no cars as the villages are not easily accessible by road, but the main railway between Rome and Paris runs along the coast, mainly in tunnels.

The Cinque Terre represent one of the best preserved natural and semi-natural areas of the Mediterranean; this is mainly due to historical and geomorphologic reasons which have forbidden excessive housing development and the creation of major roadways. Human activity and especially viticulture, have contributed to create a unique landscape in which development of the typical stonewalls is so extensive as to equal that of the famous Great Wall of China.

All this, combined with the characteristics of a crystal clear sea, of architecturally interesting locations, of a varied and extensive network of paths (one of the most enviable in the whole Mediterranean), makes the Cinque Terre an increasingly sought after location among Italian and foreign tourists. This is not so much the result of a successful promotional campaign but rather the spontaneous recognition of the uniqueness of the place, of its beauty, of the enjoyment one gets from staying in or visiting it.

Most visitors explore the villages by excursion boat. To avoid these crowds and really get to know the region, you might want to hike along the renowned walking paths that meander scenically for miles across the hills and through the forests.