Italy’s mountainous western coast on the Gulf of Genoa is Liguria, a picture book area with paradisiacal cliffs, remote villages, bucket loads of sunshine and a region known as, Cinque Terre, that comprises five villages.

Vernazza is considered to be the most beautiful of the five villages mainly because of its location within a splendid bay.

Riomaggiore is the oldest of the Cinque Terre villages. According to legend, it was founded in the eighth century by Greeks who escaped to Italy from persecution by Byzantine Emperor, Leo The Third.

Corniglia has no direct access to the sea, but extends along a massive rocky plateau about a hundred metres above the sea. On the hilly outskirts is the San Pietro Church, built in 1334, with an elegant, decorated facade and a rose window of Carrara marble.

The beauty of Manarola is not obvious at first glance. Fishermen continue to earn their living here, and there are holiday apartments as well as several souvenir shops that satisfy the demands of the many tourists who visit.

Monterosso Al Mare is the first and largest of the five villages that comprise Cinque Terre, on the route north. It extends across two bays and two districts, separated by a rock. The modern district of Fegina has a long waterfront promenade, a well-kept sandy beach and a good range of accommodation.

The seclusion of Cinque Terre has helped to preserve its picturesque townscapes, which today are so popular with tourists from around the world.