Travel Guide :: The Cinque Terre

I have a confession to make.  I'm going through a serious case of FOMO.  My mom and stepdad just left for a three week trip to Italy, one of my best friends is currently jet-setting in the Greek Isles, and two of my other friends are hopping through Europe.  As much as I love social media sometimes it does make you feel like everyone is off on fabulous adventures but you.  

Travel :: The Cinque Terre at Night

The Cinque Terre during the day is bright, colorful, and mesmerizing, but also can be absolutely packed with tourists {including dozens tour groups from Florence and/or cruises}.  To be perfectly honest, at times it was overwhelming.  The trains were next to impossible from 10am-6pm {we actually missed one due to the fact we literally could not move through the mass of people at the station} and it was difficult to really get a true feel for the towns.  But in the evenings when the tourists all head back to their respective destinations, the Cinque Terre completely transforms.

A town square that is hot and crowded with tour groups during the day is nearly empty at night except for three or four locals sitting around a table playing cards.  An inlet along the coast that is filled with people taking photos by day is the perfect spot for a romantic moment alone at night.  A restaurant buzzing with English-speaking visitors during the day is a relaxing respite for a dinner of mussels, pasta, and a bottle of Cinque Terre vino.  I am so thankful we chose to stay a little longer than usual, as it allowed us to truly get a taste of the small-town life that is the Cinque Terre.

See more photos from our trip: Genoa, Lucca, The Cinque Terre, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Hiking the Cinque Terre.  Follow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here.

Manarola, Italy

Five of the sixteen days we spent in Italy were in the Cinque Terre.  We were lucky enough to call the breathtaking cliff-side town of Manarola our home during this time {see the tiny, bright red house in the top right corner of the picture?  That was where we stayed}.  It was definitely one of the most quaint of the five towns, and it's almost impossible to say, but perhaps the most picturesque {in my humble opinion}.  

I absolutely loved climbing the towering steps to the top of the town, then negating the calorie burn with a big slice of focaccia {the Ligurian region is famous of it}.  I loved sitting on the rocks by the sea, scribbling away in my journal while daring Italians {and American students} jumped off the rocks and cliffs into the icy water.  I loved walking around the tiny streets at twilight, after all of the tourists left, seeing all of the locals coming out to gossip, play checkers, and watch the world go by. I loved drinking a bottle of local wine on the roof of our house while watching the sun set over the sea {best. view. ever.}  I loved everything about it.

More from our trip here: Genoa, Lucca; Follow Dreams in HD on bloglovin' here