Cinque Terre -- five small towns in Italy --was a favorite weekend getaway for Gonzaga in Florence students long before Rick Steves "discovered" the region.

But thanks to Rick Steves' travel blog, I discovered that parts of Cinque Terre were literally torn apart due to massive flooding. Steves' reported:

One of our most beloved corners of Europe suffered a severe natural disaster on Tuesday, October 25. Flash flooding, triggered by unusually heavy rain, ripped through Italy's Liguria region and inflicted serious damage on the Cinque Terre towns of Monterosso and Vernazza. In these towns, flooding was accompanied by landslides, filling streets with rocks, mud and debris up to 12 feet deep.

The YouTube videos of cars in raging waters, rushing to the sea, are heartbreaking. People are missing, the damage is untold and it's unknown whether the trail that connects the towns will be walkable again. That urge to tell others who love Cinque Terre as much as I do reminded me today of the urge you have to tell others when a friend or family member is sick or dying. So the news is now out on our GU in Florence email. And we hope for restoration soon for this heavenly part of the world.

(AP photo)

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