RIOMAGGIORE

Riomaggiore is one of the five little towns in the so-called Cinque Terre, a small region on the Ligurian Sea that is so mountainous from the coast inland that until quite recently it was very hard to reach. As a result, its original character has been preserved, and even though the towns are now plundered by tourists, they still brim with some ancient poetry. Riomaggiore is the most famous of them all, and probably the most visually captivating too.

Right from the water's edge, the little houses cling to the cliffs as though they were some kind of birds' nests. It's all heightened by their colourful plasterwork, which gives the whole town an unrivalled cachet. In my opinion, the ideal way to arrive is by boat. True, you can come by train too, and even – precariously – by car, but the view from a boat really is the finest. The town peeps out at you from behind a bay, and as you slowly draw nearer and nearer by boat, it grows ever more beautiful.

I strongly advise you: don't come here in high season. I was here at the end of September and there were still quite a lot of tourists. I can't even imagine how many there must be in July and August. I think it would be ideal sometime in October or May. Riomaggiore has about 1,700 inhabitants. They no longer have to face raids by pirates as they did in the past, and can spend their time dreaming up whatever else they might sell to tourists. So the originally fishing villages have transformed into little towns full of cafés and restaurants.

The entire Cinque Terre region has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1997. The town's landmarks are the parish church of San Giovanni Battista from 1340–43 and the remains of a castle from the 15th to 16th centuries. But there's nothing better than simply wandering the ancient lanes, climbing into the surrounding hills, and ideally getting completely lost in the town. In the harbour I bathed in beautifully clear water, in the little square I had a proper Italian coffee, and from a viewpoint above the town I feasted my eyes on this incredible place. What more could you wish for?

If you want to stay right in Riomaggiore, book your accommodation in advance. The hotels here are quite expensive and often hopelessly sold out.

You can walk between the little towns along a marked footpath. I definitely recommend it, because it opens up further interesting views and it's not a demanding route at all. The only problem is the crowds of tourists moving about here in high season.

Buy an all-day boat ticket and enjoy sailing around this region. It doesn't even cost that much, and for photography and filming it's the ideal way to discover the gems of the Cinque Terre.

Stay in Portovenere. This town is no longer part of the Cinque Terre, but it's beautiful too, there aren't as many tourists, and you can find a hotel here at a better price. What's more, it's a good base for boat trips.

Gear: you'll definitely find both a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens for shooting from a distance useful. A polarising filter is a must, so that the sea and sky are perfect. A camera with in-body stabilisation, or some kind of camera gimbal, also comes in very handy, because otherwise you simply won't get a smooth shot from a moving boat.