A Visit to Cinque Terre,The Italian Riviera

More photographs from my travels, sorry if you are getting bored with all the travel posts but I really wanted to share these places with you. These villages below are known as Cinque Terre - meaning the five lands in Italian which include the villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manorola and Riomaggiore. They form the Italian Riviera and are designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. They are located to the west of La Spezia where we got the train to the villages. You can also access the villages by boat but due to stormy seas the boats weren't running the day we visited. Walking paths connect the five villages but again due to the stormy weather the walking paths were closed. There is no vehicles in the villages and tourists arrive via the train or boats. It is such a breathtaking place and I would love to go back there again and walk between the villages. The areas are very busy with tourists so it is best not to visit in peak season as I am sure they are crowded with tourists particularly if the paths are closed. Just this week when I arrived home, I have seen online that the locals in the villages have an online petition to call for the numbers of tourists to be managed as the villages cannot cope as they are being overrun with mass tourism. I do hope that the numbers of tourists can be managed to ensure that the integrity of the villages are protected and also that a balance can be struck to allow the villages to thrive on tourism but that the unique architecture, landscape and heritage of these villages remain intact. It is one of the most beautiful places I have visited and the photographs below really do not do it justice- it is 100% nicer in reality.