Imagine a Medieval town overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, like a fantasy setting for the “Game of Thrones,” except brighter and lighter, with less blood. Imagine five of these towns, and you have Cinque Terre, Italy.

My wife, her friend and I visited Cinque Terre this past October. My story about this trip will come out soon. Until then enjoy some of my favorite photos from the trip.

We stayed in Corniglia, in the middle of the five towns on a hill overlooking the sea. All of the towns are only a few minutes apart on the train and an hour or so on the hiking trails that connect all five towns. The following are photos from our wanderings through the narrow passageways that wind through Corniglia.  The northernmost town is Monterosso. It’s situated on the water with a sandy beach and a wide, scenic harbor.

 One day we hiked the 2.5 miles on the trail that connected Corniglia to Veranazza, the town immediately to the north.

The following photo is from the cafe at the peak of the trail, a welcome respite from the sun-baked trail.

Vernazza is the most scenic of the five towns….

….with a broad plaza on the water with an excellent seafood restaurant.

We only paid a short visit to Manarola (just enough time for a gelato) and did not have enough time to visit Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the five towns.

I love Italy. Who doesn’t? Of all of the places in Italy I’ve visited so far, this is my favorite. I’m not sure if I will have another chance to visit, but if I do, I’m heading back to Cinque Terre. I have two more towns to visit and many miles of trails yet to explore.