Cinque Terre is the name given to five scenic villages on the Italian west coast of Liguria.

A paradise between heaven and earth, previously inaccessible. But today a much visited tourism hot spot, especially for a hike along the cliffs from Vernazza all the way south to Corniglia or back.

From up here, the outermost rock top of Vernazza, the wine hills and the steep coast look like a picture postcard. The cliff path now continues along at quite an altitude, nestled into the rocky coast with a steep drop to the roaring sea up ahead.

In the past, the villages of Cinque Terre could only be reached from the sea, because there were no roads over the mountains. The railway connection was also built later on.

Now the path becomes an easier to climb. Rock slabs become natural steps, and dangerous heaps of stone must be crossed. Further down along old stone walls, which are there to protect the steep side of the mountain from constantly falling boulders. On and on, the path becomes easier, but often remains very dangerous, because there is no fence to the steep coast.

Corniglia has no direct access to the sea, but but spreads out on a massive rocky plateau about hundred meters above the sea. From above, Corniglia looks like a toy town with small colourful houses set close together.

The last descent passes through fruit and olive trees, which are taken care of by the local farmers. Now its easier for the hiker to understand why this difficult path was hardly ever used by the inhabitants of the Cinque Terre villages.