Between the settlements lie twining pathways and almost surreally-terraced cliffs, a painstakingly chiselled landscape of gardens, vineyards and fields.
But Richard Ridler, chairman of Essex Beekeepers' Association, says this year's bad weather has not necessarily killed off bees, just stopped them from venturing out into fields and gardens.
Buildings aside, Cinque Terre's most unique historical feature is the steeply terraced cliffs bisected by a complicated system of fields and gardens that has been shaped over the course of nearly two millennia.