KEY POINTS:
Brilliant red sunsets, crisp clear days and deserted hiking paths are just some of the advantages of visiting Italy's Cinque Terre in winter.
While most flock to the UNESCO world heritage listed region on the Liguarian Riviera in summer, winter offers a quieter experience.
A five-hour train trip
from Rome to La Spezia will find you a seaside world away from Rome's hectic pace.
From La Spezia, regular trains run to the five towns of the Cinque Terre, where man-made terraces filled with vineyards and olive groves sit precariously on steep slopes overlooking the Mediterranean.
After arriving on a rainy late December day I settled in at a humble national park run apartment in the village of Riomaggiore.
It's one of many rooms and apartments available from private operators in the five Cinque Terre towns of Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Vernazza, Manarola and Monterosso.
But while it can be near impossible to find a room in the busy summer months there are plenty of options during the low season.
Winter does however has its drawbacks as many of the town's restaurants and bars shut up shop during the winter hibernation, so don't expect to be out partying until all hours.
On the upside, you can't help but get the feeling that you have the place to yourself as you walk virtually deserted hiking tracks.
The paths are less beaten than in the busy spring and summer, and despite a month of heavy rain before I arrived most of the tracks were still accessible.
The Via dell'Amore (or Lovers' Lane) walk from Manarola is probably the best option for those not seeking to overexert themselves.
For the hopeless romantics, take a marker pen so you can join the dozens of other lovebirds who have left names emblazoned on the walls of a large section of the Via dell'Amore.
Time your walk with the sunset so you can take in the red hues of the Mediterranean Sea.
At the end of the Via dell'Amore you find yourself in Manarola, home to one of the most beautiful Christmas delights I've ever seen - the world's largest nativity scene.
Retired railway worker Mario Andreoli has created a spectacular scene on the hill of the Tre Croci where 15,000 lights power 300 characters above Manarola.
In keeping with the park's commitment to sustainability the lights are now solar powered.
For a more challenging walk grab the next train to Monterosso where if you are ultra keen you can dip your feet in the sea at the best beach of all the five towns before heading uphill.
The trek from Monterosso to Corniglia takes an hour or more and will work up a good sweat, even if you choose the low section.
It's not for the faint hearted, with vigorous leg work needed to make it up what seems like hundreds of steps.
But the view and the chance to marvel at how anyone ever manages to tend to their vineyards and olive groves after such gruelling walks is one you don't want to miss.
There's no better way than to finish off a hard day's hiking than to look forward to a refreshing drink.
And if you like a good white wine then you are in luck.
The DOC Cinque Terre white wine is crisp and almost briny - the perfect partner to some of the amazing seafood meals on offer in Corniglia.
Cinque Terre Sciacchetra is also a signature wine of the region and has a high alcohol content obtained from grapes left to dry and wither.
During my visit to Riomaggiore I visited the cellar of a local winemaker, Heydi Bonanini.
The 31-year-old said that while he tries to be innovative he is committed to respecting and preserving the traditions of wine growing in the region.
He has begun experimenting with wood, cherry and chestnut barrels, a tradition which has been abandoned over the years.
Bonanini is also a champion of the organic production of the wine, which is chemical free.
I sampled a few glasses of the Cinque Terre while at Gli Ulivi, a nondescript restaurant in Volastra, high above the townsite of Riomaggiore.
If you go to the Cinque Terre do yourself a favour and go there.
The fish, lashed with oil, wine, flower petals, vanilla and a touch of vinegar was delectable and the pasta with clams was divine.
It doesn't look much from the outside and it's not that luxurious on the inside but the food was to die for.
And don't forget to try the local Cinque Terre gelati in Vernazza - it's out of this world.
- AAP
