A yellow bell tower that warned of pirates in past centuries stands sentinel in Italy's seaside village of Manarola. A bit farther down the hill in a town is a house with a water-wheel, which gives the town its name in the local dialect. The sunny walk across the hillside above town is spread with olive groves and vineyards of glistening green grapes.

But the refreshment comes where the main street of Via Renato Birolli spills into the town's rocky harbor, offering deep-water swimming in the clear blue water.

Manarola is one of five villages known as Cinque Terre along Italy's northwest coast. While the region's name means "five lands," it may as well translate as "many steps."

Each village has a permanent population measured in hundreds rather than thousands. Each has places to stay, shops to browse and restaurants to enjoy abundant local seafood.

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Source: http://www.usatoday.com