Cinque Terre, Italy

A change of pace was welcome as I caught back up with my travel buddies in Cinque Terre, one of Italy's most famous areas. It's based right on the Italian Riviera coastline with 5 centuries-old villages perched on rugged cliffs with rocky beaches. Each town has pastel coloured buildings, with vineyards, steep terraces and harbours filled with fishing boats. It's home to great seafood and the Liguria region’s famous sauce, pesto. It's a perfect place to hang out for 4 or 5 days as there are walking trails between each village with stunning sweeping views the entire way.

Prior to getting there, I met a doctor during the train trip who couldn't grasp why the region was so famous as 'there are dozens of other villages just like these, right across the Italian coastline'. Wow.

We based ourselves at Monterosso, the largest and northern most village as it was much easier to find accommodation. From there, we did day trips to each of the other villages - first to Venazza where we enjoyed pizza and pasta in the main square. It was a fair walk at 12km, and is the longest between each village however there are trains running between each village meaning you only have to walk one way.

Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore were also great as we indulged in the views, great food and stunning buildings. On the final day, we took a ferry to Porto Venere, which is further south allowing us to take in views of each village from a different perspective. Porto Venere was a great place to see in it's own right with eight-storey harbour front houses and sights such as:

• Palmara - An island with towering cliffs, picturesque coves and rocky beaches.
• Castello Doria - A 16th century castle perched up high.
• Church of Saint Peter - A small church on a rocky point right by the ocean from 1198.