Top 5 of Italy? Cinque Terre, say locals

I spent the first two days in Riomaggiore, then the next two in Vernazza. But you can base yourself anywhere and move between them as you wish by train, boat or hiking trails; only seven miles separate the five villages. You just can't drive beyond Monterosso. Roads as we know them don't exist here, and even the few residents with vehicles have to park their cars and motorbikes behind gates that separate the villages from the outside world. There aren't many museums here, either, but why should there be? The five villages are living museums of the Italian essence.