Cinque Terra

The Cinque Terra is Italy's smallest national park, but it has some of the best scenery in the country. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and for very good reasons. There a five (cinque is five in Italian) little villages right on the coast (terra means land in Italian) built basically on the mountainside. The names of the towns are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monteresso. There are great hiking trails connecting the towns or you can take a boat or train. The place is extremely scenic and is a popular vacation spot. Every town has a small beach where you can take a swim in the Mediterranean Sea.