The beauty of Manarola sitting on the rocks has also been entered in the Guinness Book of Records, and it distinguishes itself from the other villages because of its “age”: it is the most ancient of the Cinque Terre villages. We must also mention the “dark cliff” (scogliera buia), a particular stretch of coast that is always in shadow, as the peaks of the mountains loom over it, even at midday... Unfortunately there are practically no beaches here. But not many people will want to spend time at the beach, considering that the Path of Love (Sentiero dell’Amore), famous throughout the Cinque Terre, starts from Manarola and not far away there is a wine cellar in one of the vineyards.

Vernazza is the second village you will reach on the beautiful stretch of the coast in Liguria known as the Cinque Terre . It is also one of the prettiest of the Cinque Terre villages and officially listed as one of the 'most beautiful villages in Italy'. Vernazza is the only one of the Cinque Terre villages to have a natural harbour.

For visitors who are just here for a day or two and are pushed for time, the extra effort involved means Corniglia is the first to be knocked off the to-visit list. But if you do make the effort in visiting Corniglia, your prize is a quieter, less commercialised Cinque Terre village, with little bars and restaurants tucked into cobbled streets and a knockout coastal view. That’s not to say there isn’t a constant flow of people passing through during the daytime. But come late afternoon everything slows down and Corniglia retreats back to its naturally sleepy state.