One of the prettiest places on Earth....

After having travelled throughout Europe, I must admit one of the most enjoyable--and beautiful--places I have visited is Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguriaregion of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" comprises five villages:Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

A walking trail, known as Sentiero Azzurro ("Light Blue Trail"), connects the five villages. The trail from Riomaggiore to Manarola is called the Via Dell'Amore ("Love Walk") and varies in difficulty from an easy stroll to a rough and physically challenging hike. The stretch from Manarola to Corniglia is the easiest to hike, although the main trail into Corniglia finishes with a climb of 368 stairs. The trail from Corniglia to Vernazza is steep at certain places. The trail from Vernazza to Monterosso is by far the steepest. It winds through olive orchards and vineyards and is rough in places, but offers the best view of the bay and the spectacular approaches to both Monterosso and Vernazza. The difference in height for the whole Sentiero Azzurro is more than 600 meters and the length is more than 10 km. It takes approximately 5 hours to walk it.

Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible "modern" development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside.

Recently, a group of students visited this "fairy tale" but real location. Check out there amazing pictures: