Last June, we spent almost a week in Vernazza, Italy, and had the chance to explore the five towns that make up the Cinque Terre area. These five coastal communities each have unique personalities.

Cinque Terre Italy. Cinque Terre is a group small coastal villages located in the Liguria region, along the Italian Riviera. These towns—Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and ...

While the Cinque Terre is now well discovered, I’ve never seen happier, more relaxed travelers. Until the advent of tourism in this generation, these towns were poor and remote.

Meaning “five lands,” Cinque Terre encompasses the five towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. All of these towns have distinct personalities.

At only about 15 square miles, the Parco Nazionale Cinque Terre is one of the smallest national parks in Italy but with a population of about 4,000, it's also one of the most heavily inhabited.

I’m up early in my favorite village on the Italian Riviera, as the morning sun touches the tip of Vernazza’s bell tower and greets a peaceful world. The air is damp, cool, and refreshin… ...

Made up of five villages, Italy’s underappreciated alternative to the French Riviera is preserved as a national park.