Cinque Terre- a Living Postcard

Whenever you talk to someone who has been to Cinque Terre in Italy they immediately describe it as walking into a postcard, and in my experience that is not far off. These five towns on the northern Italian coast are a complete dream. Each one seems so perfect it can't possibly be real.





Leaving Venice was incredibly hard for me, because it is so beautiful and because of the amazing people I met there, but it was made much easier when Cinque Terre was my next stop. The area is amazing because the five towns are nestled perfectly on and between picturesque cliffs, and theoretically you are able to hike between each town to experience amazing views. Unfortunately because of the elements it seems all of the trails are never open at the same time I was only able to hike between two of the towns, but that somehow did not take away any of the charm.

The whole area is not only settled within a national park, but it is also a world heritage site, so the towns have this preserved charm that cannot be put entirely into words, just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Realistically, going to Cinque Terre was a little bittersweet at first- it is really hard to have fun when you just left somewhere where you created amazing memories. But I have to say, when you spend a few hours hiking your way up and down steep cliffs to come across a spectacular Oceanside view it is hard to feel anything but awe. That is what I did my first day there, and being able to see the towns from every angle, and watch them slowly get closer as you hiked, was so magical and amazing. As I walked into the second town I visited and bought some fresh focaccia with pesto, sitting and eating in the little harbor was one of the most simple and pleasant times of my life.

I was actually staying in a hostel a little outside of the towns and took a shuttle in and out every day, which was both nice and a little sad at the same time. The town I stayed in was incredibly quaint, and it was nice because it was not nearly as touristy as each of the Cirque Terre towns so it felt much more authentic, however staying outside of town really limited my time actually exploring. I only stayed two full days there and ultimately only explored four of the towns, which of course means I need to go back at some point to see the rest, but just my limited time there allowed me to see not only how beautiful it was but I got to swim on the Italian Riviera and get lost in the amazing scenery.

If you ever find yourself in northern Italy, there is no better way to spend a few days then getting lost in these villages and completely forgetting about life for a few days. There is nothing else I can think to say except that you should go as soon as humanly possible.