Italy: Cinque Terra National and Marine park

A chaotic pile of seaside houses burn in the light of the setting sun; Manarola

Art imitates life; Monterosso al Mare

The fishing villages tumble down their hillsides into the sea, with any leftover expanse being covered with patchworks of vinyards; Vernazza

Perhaps a reflection of the culture, the colours here are passionate, vibrant and unapologetic; Vernazza

Manarola

Cheap, good food is the order of the day: Focaccia, pesto, grilled eggplant, fresh tomatoes, grapes, oranges and sweet local red wine to wash it all down.

Free public beaches are few and far between in Cinque-Terra. More a showcase of small-town culture and marine wildlife, those looking for huge expanses of seaside sand should look further south; Monterosso al Mare

Cinque Terra's national park status keeps the tourist trap chains out and promotes the display and sale of local products, arts and crafts; Manarola

Pueblos pile on top of each other like blocks, creating alleyways out of walls that look likely to collapse into each other any second; Monterosso al Mare

Vernazza

Manarola

Four of the towns sit at sea level, while Corniglia perches on a steep outcrop. Unknown to most, an secret tunnel burrows deep beneath the village to the other side, leading to a private nudist beach guarded by a grizzled gatekeeper.

Cats are everywhere, sauntering the streets with a posessive strut in Corniglia

Nightfall changes Manarola dramatically. As the tourists take the train home, the hubub quiets down, and only a few souls lucky enough to have a bed in the town itself lean against the railing looking out to the sea, or sit at the panninoteca in the company of the locals.

NEXT: Venice