The Cinque Terre are famous for their amazing natural landscape and colourful fishing villages perched on dramatic cliffs. UNESCO added the Cinque Terre to its list of World Heritage Sites because of their cultural landscape of great scenic and cultural value. The five towns that make up the Cinque Terre - Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso - began life as medieval fortified settlements, each protected by a castle overlooking the sea guarding against Saracen raiders. You can walk the entire route in about six hours, if you take short breaks—although many hikers prefer to spread the route out over a few days at a strolling pace, stopping to enjoy the towns along the way. You can start from either direction (Monterosso, heading south, or Riomaggiore, heading north).