Often, I find myself reading travel blogs, collecting travel magazines and books, and daydreaming about traveling the world during class. What can I say? I have wanderlust! My desire to explore the world and become a more cultured individual has even influenced me to create a list of all the places I want to travel before I die. A lot of the time I will forage through travel websites during my humanities lectures to stay awake. During a recent lecture, I caved in my wanderlust and entertained myself by searching Google for the world's most colorful towns. To my amusement, an article from Top Inspired, titled "Top 10 Most Colorful Towns in the World," was one of the first things that popped up. After glancing through the list, I became intrigued by the vibrant villages within Cinque Terre, Italy -- pronounced Cheen-Kwah Terra.
The town encompasses five small fishing villages -- Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore -- that are located along the northern west coast of Italy overlooking the stunning waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Although each village has its own unique features, they all showcase vibrantly painted homes, rocky seaside cliffs, crystal clear blue water, beautiful green foliage, and many charming shops and cafes. The picture above, as well as the featured picture for this article, are of the rainbow colored homes that can be seen in the Manarola village.
After discovering this picturesque town, I became instantly obsessed with learning about the beautifully rugged coastline nestled in the Italian Riviera. I was even more excited when I discovered that one of my favorite travel blogs, Kevin & Amanda, made a trip to these five villages in 2012 and documented their entire journey with beautiful photographs. I discovered that although Cinque Terre is famous for it's colorful buildings, the village of Corniglia (pictured above) is home to some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world! Although it too contains its fair share of rainbow homes, Corniglia has acres upon acres of luscious orchards, vineyards, and gardens that supply the town with a bounty of fresh produce.
Pictured above is Vernazza. This beautiful village contains historic churches and charismatic sanctuaries that draw tourists from around the world. Due to these attractions, tourism is the major source of revenue for this village. However, it still carries on centuries-old traditions of fishing, and wine and olive oil production. Given its location along the Mediterranean Sea, Cinque Terre's cuisine is full of fresh seafood. The fusion of the Mediterranean and Italian cultures has created local delicacies that include pasta tossed in a delicious basil pesto sauce, freshly baked focaccia bread, supremely cultivated red and white whines, a traditional crispy chickpea pancake, and decadently creamy honey gelato.
The picture above is of the beautiful rocky cliffs featured in the village of Monterosso al Mare. In 1997, the Cinque Terre was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of its scenic and cultural value. Just two years later the National Park of the Cinque Terre was established. The formation of these two safeguards has helped to provide preservation of the area's historic churches as well as the steep yet beautiful terrain.
Riomaggiore is the most southern village of Cinque Terre and is recognized as the "first" village. This village is held in high regard for its historic character and features charming shops, restaurants, and bars. Individuals can travel from village to village by train or by foot. The Via dell'Amore or "The Way of Love" is the pedestrian hiking trail that connects all five villages. The trail received its name after becoming a common passageway for young lovers that lived in two different villages.
Crystal clear ocean waters, luscious foliage, historic vineyards, and delicious cuisine -- does it get any better than that? I certainly don't think I would mind waking up in a vibrant little house in this colorful town. Speaking of colorful, it is rumored that the houses were painted vibrant colors by fishermen that wanted to be able to distinguish their home from sea. Who knew that painting a town rainbow would bring so much charm and beauty!
