Last August, I had the opportunity to visit Cinque Terre for the first time. For some reason, these tiny villages were never very high on my list of places to travel, despite hearing so much about them (or maybe because of hearing so much about them). But Erin suggested it, so we went, and I’m so glad we did. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and since the easy paths had been washed out by a mudslide, the terrain made for challenging hiking between the towns. We took our time, hiking and swimming the towns over 3 days, though it would definitely be done in one if you’re up for a challenge.