Today, One Kings Lane features work by the talented photographer, Gray Malin. This photography caught my eye since it captures the amazingly beautiful scenes of one of my favorite travel spots of all time: Italy's Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre, or "The Five Lands" is a rugged coastal region along the Italian Riviera between Genoa and La Spezia. It is comprised of five quaint fishing villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Over centuries, terraces and trails have been built along the rugged landscape/cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. Paths, trains, and boats connect the colorful villages, and they are inaccessible via automobile.
I first hiked this trail in the fall of 1996 while studying abroad (based in Luxembourg) and later during a backpacking trip through southern Europe in the summer of 1998, just after college graduation. On my second visit, we stayed overnight in nearby Portovenere, and traveled by boat to Riomaggiore to begin the hike. I highly recommend this alternative! Yet each of these charming little towns have their own, unique flavor, so you cannot go wrong regardless of where you spend the night. The main attraction is the spectacular view you take in while hiking the beautiful trails overlooking the brilliant blue waters of the Mediterranean. Soaking up the local Italian culture in each of the five villages along the way is icing on the cake!
Some of my old photos of Cinque Terre...
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| View from our little hotel in Portovenere |
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| Hiking the Trail... |
Evidently, since Rick Steves featured this fascinating and scenic part of Italy, it has become a huge tourist attraction. Travelers from all over the world travel by boat or train to reach one of the five villages and hike throughout the region, typically starting in Riomaggiore and ending in Monterosso.
According to OKL, "A Dallas native, Gray Malin hunts the globe for the unusual beauty captured in his photographs. He often plays with perspective through height, helicoptering over the beaches of Brazil or Kauai and sending balloons above the mystical plains of Joshua Tree National Park. Malin first broke onto the scene in West Hollywood, California at a Sunday market where his prints caught the interest of gallery owners, interior designers, and stylish Angelenos. Malin's work has been displayed in the Dallas Museum of Art and has been published around the world in publications such as the London Observer."
The following description is provided for the photographs below:
"A stunning photograph by Gray Malin capturing a beach scene in Italy. Documenting many of Italy’s most famous beaches on a 2000-kilometer road trip, the artist’s “La Dolce Vita” series was inspired by the glamorous Italian Riviera lifestyle that mesmerized the world during the 1950s and 60s. Focusing on the retro-vintage beach umbrellas that seem to have stood still in time, this series is meant to evoke nostalgia for the opulence of what the Italian Riviera once represented."
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| Capri La Fontelina Beach Club |
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| Maiori |
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| Positano |
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| Rimini, White Umbrellas |
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| Rivazzura, Umbrellas with Tassels |
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| Capri |
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| Monterosso, Cinque Terre |
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| Praiano, Amalfi Coast |
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| Riccione, Multi-Colored Umbrellas |
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| Monterosso, Diptych |
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Cinque Terre, Vertical
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I can only hope one day to return to this heaven on earth! Where is YOUR favorite travel destination?
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