One of our final stops was the Cinque Terre, a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. Cinque Terre consists of five small villages (“cinque terre” means “five lands” in Italian) which cling to the Ligurian cliffs along Italy’s western coast. The five villages, each having their own personality, are in Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The “Five Lands” comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Part of its charm is the lack of visible corporate development; paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach them from the outside.

We spent four nights in Monterosso, which made a great location for boat and train hopping to other villages. We hiked the path between Monterosso and Vernezza. Although this trek is claimed to be the most difficult trek between the villages, it is the only one that is completely open between any of the villages due to landslides in 2011. Some deep relaxation and sun worshiping was on order, since we knew the days in front of us are filled with planes, trains, automobiles, 5th wheels, amusement parks, grandkids, volunteering, transitioning and more adventures to come!