How to become a good photographer: go to Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is one of the world's great spots and one of the world's great trails. And I say that on a day where I started and ended my hike wrapped in a plastic bubble due to rain (thanks for the poncho, Erica!) I've never met a bunch of locals less interested in taking my money. Everywhere I went, they were talking loudly to each other like they were a bunch of college students and the Cinque Terre was their common room- in other words, totally ignoring me. This was refreshing, but I would like to go back sometime when stuff is actually open and I can swim in the ocean.

The mountains... the terracing... the vineyards... and the rugged, hilly landscape is perched above an endless, flat, shiny sea where you can see to infinity.

It's just so much cooler to look down on the sea from a mountain than out at it from a beach.

Click here to see 8 Cinque Terre photos and two bonus Leaning Tower of Pisa and Rome photos.