Vernazza Harbor

Painting by: Teresa Dominici, Medium: Acrylic on canvas, size: 24"x18" (60cmx45cm),
The Cinque Terre, are five small villages on the "Costa Ligure of Levante". The villages from north to south are: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Since 1926, the Cinque Terre towns have been part of the province of La Spezia
We visited the Cinque Terre in Spring of 1989, we decided to visit each town on foot. Each town had his own charisma.

From Riomaggiore, we walked to Manarola along the section called “Lover’s Lane”. This is the easiest part of the walk, with the path paved and flat and giving you great views of the ocean. It took us right into Manarola.
From Manarola we followed the coastal trail to Corniglia or you can also follow the harder trails up and through the vineyards and olive groves.
The path from Corniglia to Vernazza is one of the hardest parts. The coastal path can be steep at times and get quite crowded. However, we did get great views of the towns and the terraced vineyards.
There are lots of things about Vernazza that make it known as "the jewel of Cinque Terre", and probably the first thing would be the beach. It is the only town in the Cinque Terre that has the closest thing to a natural harbor and offers superb swimming.

Leaving Vernazza for the final stop of Monterosso is the most challenging. The trail gets very steep at points and it’s a lot of up and down walking. However, we were rewarded with beautiful vineyards, olive groves, ancient stone houses, and crumbling walls.
 Cinque Terre 

Video by: The World of Travel, Link: http://www.viaggiatore.net/

The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Cinque Terre is noted for its beauty. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible "modern" development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside. It is a very popular tourist destination.
In 1998 the Italian Ministry for the Environment set up the Protected natural marine area Cinque Terre to protect the natural environment and to promote socioeconomic development compatible with the natural landscape of the area.
In 1999 the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre. was set up to conserve the ecological balance, protect the landscape, and safeguard the anthropological values of the location. ( source Wikipedia )