I spent 2 gorgeous days in the Cinque Terre, in April 2004, at the end of about 2 weeks travelling through various parts of Italy and I have to say this was the highlight of the trip.

We arrived late in the afternoon, at the nearest train station, after a bit of a journey to get there (there were a number of changes along the way, and due to one train running late, we narrowly missed our connection, forcing us to spend two hours in one of the less interesting parts of Italy while we waited for the next one but hey, isn't that part of the fun of travelling?) from Florence. The first surprise was to be greeted by a woman at the train station offerring us a room in her house to stay, not something I had experienced before. We then walked what seemed like forever through a tunnel and uphill into one of the villages to be greeted by more people offering rooms. We'd pre-booked but it was nice to know that if we hadn't there would still be somewhere to stay. Having said that, this was not peak tourist time so I don't know if that's still the case if you go in the height of the tourist season.

As we had throughout our Italian trip, my sister and I soon decided to sample the local cuisine and wash it down with a bottle or two of lovely Italian red wine. There are quite a few restaraunts in the Cinque Terre and we sampled some while we were there. The quality ranged from good to superb. I had the most delicious ravioli I had ever tasted in a restaraunt we discovered in the biggest village you come to along the walking track, served by very friendly waiters who were happy to have a joke with their customers. I can't remember the name of it but it is fairly large and is actually cut into the rock surrounding the village. If you are looking for it, it's one of the last along the main piazza area, almost opposite the beach. (Sorry I can't be more specific, it was a few months ago.)

So, finally, on to the BEST BIT. Like I said earlier there is a walking track that connects the 5 towns. It costs about 6 euros to do the walk, but believe me, it's well worth it. The day we did it was a gorgeous sunny day in early April. (I'd definately recommend going at this time of the year as there weren't too many people around and the temperature was perfect-we were both wearing t-shirts and trousers, with jumpers tied around our waists and this was comfortable most of the day)

Each of the villages you come to is slightly different, with the first being a bit more rustic and, seemingly, authentic (or at least living up to the stereotypical view of laid back, friendly Italian villages)- houses with lemon trees in the front yard, people out working in fields and old men sitting on benches chatting and watching the world go by. They gradually become a bit more touristy, with the middle one being the biggest with the most shops and restaurants, as this is where a lot of people arrive at around lunch time and the last one being a bit of a typical (but small) beach side tourist area.

The overall impression, throughout the whole walk, is a real sense of calm. I know it sounds cliched but the people really did seem relaxed and happy, everyone we met had a smile and a friendly word. This is the sort of place that gives the meditteranean its reputation for being such a laid back, easygoing part of Europe.