Cinque Terre, meaning five lands, is a coastal area on the Northern coast of the Italian Riviera. Consisting of five towns, Cinque Terre is the Pinterest perfect location of rocky shorelines, colorful houses and la dolce vita. On a rainy April day, that eventually turned into a sunny one, Melissa, her family, their family friends, and I, took a train from Florence to La Spezia and a metro like train from La Spezia to the five towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. Cinque Terre is known for its mountainous hiking paths that bring you, by foot, between each town. Since the weather was bad for part of the day, the national park service closed the walking paths. Fun fact: Cinque Terre is an Italian national park as well a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Luckily, the park offers alternative modes of transportation including trains, buses and ferries. As I said, we opted for the most simplistic and quickest of the three–the train. Amongst umbrella madness, battling other visitors to enter the trains, and lemon spritzers, I had an enjoyable day trip to one of the most picturesque places in Italy. Enjoy the wonders of the Italian Riviera, amongst rain and shine, through a photo blog that depicts Cinque Terre in Five Photos.

Riomaggiore

Manarola

Corniglia

Vernazza

Monterosso

Ciao for now,

Emily

All photography by Emily Houston.