Cinque Terre

I sit right where the green hills meet the big blue sea. My houses are painted like a rainbow. You can see sunny yellow, happy pink, and bright blue walls all snuggled together on the cliffs. It looks like a box of crayons spilled down the hillside. I am not just one town, but five little villages all holding hands. Together, we are called Cinque Terre. That means 'Five Lands' in the sunny country of Italy. I love watching the boats bobbing on the water below me.

A very, very long time ago, around the 11th century, brave families came to live on my steep hills. It was tricky to build here, but they were very clever. They stacked stones like big building blocks to make flat little gardens on the hillside. The gardens looked like giant steps climbing up to the sky. Here, they grew yummy grapes and shiny olives. For many years, the only way to visit my villages was by boat on the sparkly sea. It was a secret, special place. Then, a long time ago in the 1870s, a choo-choo train came. It chugged through tunnels in my hills and connected me to the whole wide world.

Today, friends from all over the world come to visit me. They walk on my sunny paths that connect my five villages. They listen to the waves sing their happy song and take pictures of my colorful houses. I love to hear their happy chatter and see their big smiles. It makes me feel so proud. I am here to show everyone how beautiful things can be when people and nature work together. I am a happy home on the hills, and I love to share my sunshine with you.