Cinque Terre: National Park and Visual Wonder

Erin Hopkins is a student at the Southern Nazarene University and an ISA Featured Photo Blogger. She is currently studying abroad with ISA in Florence, Italy.

Walking into one of the villages in Cinque Terre feels like walking through a postcard. The colors are bright and the landscape is so unique. Surrounded on one side by steep green hills and on the other by an expanse of sea, the closely gathered and brightly colored buildings seem to have come from nowhere. It is an incredible sight to see each village balanced delicately in a landscape that seems almost uninhabitable.

The village of Manarola gives some of the best views of the colorful buildings that are balanced seemingly precariously on the coastal edge

The unique traits of these five villages are what make Cinque Terre such a popular destination for anyone visiting Northern Italy. ISA Florence takes an excursion to the “Five Lands” in the fall semester and in the summer term, but this is a place worth visiting for anyone that has the opportunity.

The impressive variety of cacti and palms add to the charm of the national park of Cinque Terre
The village of Monterosso
Exploring the winding streets of Monterosso

The whole area is a national park, so take a walk through one of the brightly colored villages and then make your way down the coast by hiking or taking the train to the next village. Each village has its own charm. From the beaches of Monterosso that attract sunbathers and swimmers, to Riomaggiore’s maze of streets and stunning views of the sea, each village has something different to offer and all are worth seeing.

Riomaggiore’s alleys and side streets are easy to get lost in
Cinque Terre is just as beautiful from a distance when it is in contrast with the cliffs and sea

 

The world awaits…discover it.

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