I loved the Cinque Terre. There isn't much to do, so you are forced to slow down your pace. Great to do when traveling long time. Swim, watch the locals, eat gelato and fresh seafood and relax. If you're feeling like some exercise, I recomend walking between all 5 towns. I started in Riomaggiore and ended in Monterosso. (Took the train from Vernazza (where I was staying) to Riomaggiore and then back at the end. It was a challenging walk, in that it was hot with a lot of hills. Go at your own pace. I decided to swim and then eat gelato at every town to relax a little. Since you float so easy, it was a nice relaxing dip in the Mediterranean. You can always take a train back if the walk gets to be too much. I did it by myself and felt perfectly safe.

This is one of the most beautiful places i have been to when traveling. These five small towns have managed to remain free of the heavy crush of tourism that seems to inflict all picturesque villages and towns worth seeing. The hike linking these five towns offers some of the best views of the ocean and area on the Italian Riviera. If anyone is ever in the Liguria Provence i highly suggest visiting this region

There's a gorgeous walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola, Cornieglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso (The Cinque Terre). It's possible to do in a day if you're in good shape. There are trains if you get tired. The walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola is the easiest and only takes 20 minutes or so (longer if you stare at the view from the benches!).

Awesome place to chill out if you've been backpacking through Europe for months. This is where the European portion of The Talented Mr Riply was filmed.

... a lovely piece of land with four villages facing the ocean. very good seafood, fantastict desssert wine (sciaccetra)