Travel Diaries | Le Cinque Terre

And so to the final leg of our Italy journey: Le Cinque Terre.

Like so many other people, I'm sure, I had seen photos online of the beautiful, colourful houses clinging to the cliffs and didn't think twice about adding it to our itinerary. Getting there couldn't be easier, it's just a one hour train journey north from Pisa to La Spezia, and then a quick 5 minute hop on the Cinque Terre Express to Riomaggiore.

Catch up on the rest of our trip in Pisa and Florence Part 1 & Part 2

We chose to stay in Riomaggiore, the second largest of the five towns, as it has a good choice of bars and restaurants but isn't as big and busy as Monterosso, which can get quite a bit busier.

We spent our four days in Le Cinque Terre exploring the four towns, hopping between them on the train - it's only about €2 each per journey, but it does add up so I advise planning your days in advance. On our first day we headed to Manarola then on to Monterosso. On our second day we took the ferry over to Vernazza, then on to Corniglia on the train.

Manarola is home to the most photographed Cinque Terre view, with the bright colourful houses. The village itself is barely more than a few shops, so we headed here very early one morning to explore and have breakfast next to the waves before the crowds arrived. The villages can get very busy during the daytime, particularly when a cruise ship is docked in La Spezia, but early mornings and evenings are lovely and peaceful, even in the busy season.

We explored all five towns over two days, even climbing the hundreds of steps up to Corniglia. It's definitely worth the climb though - it's much bigger than it first seems, with lots of little shops at the top of the hill, amazing basil flavoured ice cream, and a beautiful view point looking out over the sea.

As well as the beautiful towns, Le Cinque Terre also has some pretty spectacular beaches. In Riomaggiore, tucked around the side of the marina and hidden behind the rocks is a beautiful little beach where we would head to every evening after exploring the villages and stay there until sunset before heading off in search of dinner.

To round off our perfect holiday, Sam had one final surprise. The most beautiful diamond ring I've ever seen and a special question. I said yes, of course. I think. The moment itself and the hours that followed are still very much a blur. If it weren't for the stealthy photographer Sam had arranged, it would still feel like a dream.
We then had cocktails at a bar above the village followed by champagne and a wonderful dinner at the spectacular Rio Bistrot, looking out at the sea. I only have two very blurry photos of the rest of this evening because I was completely dazed.

And so, at last, I have reached the end of our best trip yet. Soon to be followed with a return trip to Italy to look for the perfect wedding venue (the wedding won't be for a few years, no need to buy a hat yet).

I also documented parts of our trip in video, ignoring the golden rule of keep the camera still - I call it my 'pan left, pan right' masterpiece. I don't know what happened to the sound at 5:43 but honestly I'd already exported it three times and uploaded it when I noticed, so we'll deal. And yes, we know we're a pair of goobers.