Under The Tuscan Sun: Cinque Terre

Today I got back from Cinque Terre with a group of girls from school! It was a short but beautiful weekend! We left Siena by train on Friday and got off in La Spezia about three hours later. We then took a five minute train ride into the mountains and got off at Riomaggiore. “Le Cinque Terre”, meaning “The Five Villages”, is composed of five gorgeous seaside towns known for their bright houses nestled in the mountainside cliffs overlooking the ocean. The first town, where we stayed, is Riomaggiore, the second is Manarola, the third is Corniglia, the fourth is Vernazza and the last town is Monterosso. After we got settled in our hotel on Friday we explored Riomaggiore! On Saturday we took a ferry to each town and explored the area! The five towns are so picturesque and it is definitely one of my favorite places in Italy! Each town has colorful houses, a marina, ocean rocks and Vernazza and Monterosso have beaches. The towns also have main streets where cute shops and the delicious seafood restaurants are located. Out of the five towns, Riomaggiore and Vernazza were my favorite because of the way their houses were arranged around the mountain and ocean. Manarola was also beautiful because the town is surrounded on the ocean opposing side by hillside gardens. We were able to walk along the gardens on a trail and get an amazing view of the sea! Overall, it is such a beautiful and enchanting place to visit, I am so glad I got the chance to before school ends! Getting ready for Switzerland this upcoming weekend!

Ciao!

-Rachel