Well that's the introduction, courtesy of the Lonely Planet's guide and I'm ashamed to say that we'd never heard of the place but various folk that we have met along the way had recommended it to us, so here we are and boy we have not been disappointed!
We bought a 3 day pass so that we could walk the trails, get unlimited train travel in the region and take our time so that we could spend time in the villages. This meant that we could stop and start as we pleased and not have to rush it all in one day. It has left us absolutely exhausted but exhillerated. The following is a brief account of each of the 5 villages of the Cinque Terre (Five Lands).
MONTEROSSO
The westernmost and largest of the 5 villages with this enormous statue embedded into the rocks. It has a nice sandy beach and is favoured by locals and tourists alike. We spent the morning exploring the village and sat on a bench eating stuffed focaccia for lunch. After lunch we hopped on the train to Vernazza - a 5 minute ride (thus avoiding a 2 hour trek in hilly terrain) in temperatures in excess of 28C it was the sensible option!
VERNAZZA
Population of only 1100 - a small village with a tiny harbour framed by the 1318 built Chiesa di Santa Margherita. The Church is a very impressive building, dominating the small harbour, however once inside we were surprised to find there was no grandeur as we have seen in many of Italy's Churches. It's beauty was in it's simplicity and after sitting awhile, left us feeling uplifted. We caught the train back to base still wondering how these houses cling to the rocks - Ah, tomorrow is another day. 
CORNIGLIA
Train straight to Corniglia - the smallest of the villages and least accessible by sea with only a population of 600. Corniglia's colourfully painted four storey houses cling to a ridge above the sea. After getting off the train we decided to do it the hard way (there was a shuttle bus on offer to take folk up to the village). We however, climbed the 387 steps to the top - I knew it was 387 because there is a plaque at the top congratulating everyone having made it up! - We were a bit concerned / amused to see the ambulance station situated at the top of the steps. Not requiring their service, but requiring sustinence we headed off to a cliff side cafe for coffee and pastries! Having climbed the 387 steps to get to the top, we then decided to go down a very steep and challenging path to the rocks below and watched folk enjoying swimming and snorkling in amongst the rocks. We had to climb the path again to get back into the village where I met a young woman and her father who had spent the morning collecting mushrooms (not the sort you get in Morrisons). We ate our packed lunch and poked around the village's few shops before setting off again, in the heat of the midday sun, to walk the next bit of the trail to the village of Manarola (50 minutes walk as opposed to a 5 minute train ride) but first we had to descend to the station - Yes, you've guessed it, down the 387 steps we have already climbed. It wasn't that bad really and besides we are getting fitter and fitter. The walk to Manarola was beautiful - a coastal path with sheer drops to the sea.
MANAROLA
This charming village is perched on a sheer rocky spur some 70 metres above the sea on one of the most breathtaking parts of the coastline of the Cinque Terre. The greatest impact was when we rounded the final bend from the walk from Corniglia and we saw this amazing image of the village perched on the rocks as you can see in the photos. Time was spent wandering around the village and it's harbour. While waiting for the train we sat and enjoyed a carafe of the local vino enjoying the views. - Caught the train back to base. 
RIOMAGGIORE
Day 3 and still lots more to see. Took the train to Riomaggiore whose name is derived from the Rivus Maior which runs through it. According to tradition it was founded by some Greek refugees in the 7th Century. There are 2 sides to the village. The fishing village is the part facing the sea and the peasants (farmers) village is facing the mountain. As usual we went walkabout and found the continuation of the coastal path with steep climbs up to an observation point and enjoyed a coffee looking out from a terrace offering some fantastic views. Back into the village where we wandered up and down narrow streets when we came across a pond and on closer inspection saw a duck with 18 fluffy ducklings huddled together. Our final walk was from Riomaggiore back to Manarola along the Via del Amore (Lover's trail) along the coastal path which had been carved out of the rock. We enjoyed a late lunch accompanied, of course, with a glass of wine before catching the train back to base. 
An exhausting 3 days but ones we were pleased not to have missed. We took 190 photos between us and it was difficult choosing the few for the blog. If you want to see more of the Cinque Terre you can visit http://www.cinqueterre.com/
So bye from us both from the amazing Cinque Terre. 
Harry and Kath xxx
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