Liz and Frank: Santa Margherita via Cinque Terre

We are now heading north to the Ligurian Coast - Carlo wheels our bus through more incredible country, and the next few photos have been taken through the window of our coach - certainly nowhere to stop on these curvy mountainous roads - that's for sure.

Approaching the coast we pass the Carrara white marble quarries above - this is where Michelangelo, and thousands of others gathered their marble from, and still do today. The 300 or so quarries near the town date back to Roman times, making this the oldest industrial site in continuous use in the world.

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Liguria is a narrow strip of coastline sandwiched between sea and mountains, it curves and twists in an west-east arch from Tuscany to the French Border - known as the Italian Riviera.

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Cinque Terre - "Paradise on Earth" is how Lord Byron described the cluster of 5 little fishing villages that make up Le Cinque Terre (the 5 earth) called Monterossa, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore which cling perilously to the steep rocky coast.

The Gulf of La Spezia above - which is almost the perfect ampitheatre - many artists including poets live in, or frequent La Spezia. We stop here for a quick moment to pick up our specialist Cinque Terre Guide.

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Liguria is very dramatic - the Ligurian and Maritime Apennines plunge in sheer cliffs to the sea.

Still attempting to get shots through the window, as Carlo manoevres our machine around every curve - many times negotiating with a driver coming the other way.

There is Corniglia below - our next destination

We start descending the stairs from the Cinque Terre National Park

then onto a narrow road

beside streams

with their quaint bridges

towards Corniglia

and we can now see the "terraced" fields - up close

The original forests were replaced by the cultivation of vines on terraces through the crushing of rock and the patient construction of dry stone walls.

The dry stone walls, are built exclusively with sandstone boulders stacked and filled with rubble and earth without the use of any other material. In figures, approximately 8,400,000 cubic meters of dry stone walls for a distance of 6,720,000 meters, that is 6729 kilometers have been laid over the centuries!!

Among the terraced fields were built long and steep stone staircases - though motorized carts on tracks and pulleys have been installed in some.

The figures on the terraces were there for Corniglia's festival

Bikes - no cars Pretty lanes - roads to the Corniglians and of course those steps! To depart Corniglia we go to the Trenitalia Station

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It wasn't that long ago that these Cinque Terre towns could only be reached by boat or walking, but some 32 tunnels were built (Italians are masters at tunnels) and there is now a rail system.

We actually visited two other Cinque Terre towns by the Trenitalia this day, but so many photos, have decided to add to the blog tomorrow.