The Cinque Terre, literally translated as the "five lands," is a rugged stretch of the Italian Riveria unspoiled by cars or the jet-setting lifestyle of its more glamorous cousin to the north, Portofino. Very tranquil and sedate, if you can't relax here, you might consider a lobotomy. Since there are no museums, the main activity is chilling out by the harbor, the piazza, or the town square. Each town is framed by terraced mountains that yield olives and grapes, the latter of which produces the fabulous Cinque Terre DOC white wine. DOC is basically the stamp of approval autheticating a wine's provenance. We stayed in sleepy Manarola, hiked an arduous trail to Vernazza, where we rewarded ourselves with a great lunch of seafood, pasta, white wine, and coffee at Gambero Rosso. Sunned ourselves on a rock in the harbor for the rest of the day, looking up only occasionally at the tourists, locals, and cats. Ahh..Cinque Terre. Thank goodness UNESCO found you and designated you a world heritage site! Let's hope the tourists don't ruin it. :)

A view from our room -- at $46/night, what a bargain!

Cinque Terre