While in Italy we decided we had to do some sightseeing and decided to go for a full day guided tour to a place we’d heard many speak warmly about, so off we went to a guided boat tour of Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre means five lands and are the name of five fisher villages in Liguria region in Italy. The villages make up the Cinque Terre National park and are a UNESCO World Heritage site. The names of the villages are: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.
We started off in Riomaggiore and got some time to look around before the boat took us on to the next villages. We did not go to the villages of Corniglia and Manarola, but saw these from the boat.
Next stop was Vernazza where we had time to wander the streets, get some gelato and go for a nice little swim.
After this we came to Monterosso al Mare. We had lunch and tried some of the famous sea food with locally grown lemons and pasta with their famous pesto.
I managed to sneak in a little swim from the beach in the old part of town, we walked around the old part and went through the tunnel that connects the old part to the new.
Our guide from Bellaitalia Tours, Martha, was a very good guide and Cinque Terre is truly a sight worth seeing!
Lovely. I live for long periods during the year in Italy, so I shall have to keep these places in mind to visit 🙂 Thanks for sharing. Tony.
I can really recommend them to everyone. I found them to be lovely! Where abouts in Italy do you spend your time?
Great to here 🙂 I live in the centre of Rome. It is great in it’s own way but the busy, touristy city centre can be tiring, not to mention, you can miss home a bit 😛
Rome is a city I would love to go to, but I’d prefer to not go during the hottest summer months! There is always an upside and a downside to living anywhere.
Absolutely, it’s stifling in summer! But I’m generally back home in summer, thankfully.
That sounds like a good way for things to be.
A special place!
It really is!
I find it incredible that they built homes on those steep hills but I guess that’s what you do to be close to the water. I wonder if you have to move to lower ground when you turn 50? :)) Taking a boat tour is a good way to see lots of things. The gelato would have been my favorite part. Thanks for sharing.
Those well over 50 looked very fit too! I guess it makes you stay fit and you just walk a little slower. I enjoy boat tours a lot. And the sea is a good place to be in the heat!
:))) Climbing all those hills everyday is better than going to the gym to stay fit. I think that’s why those folks live longer than those that sit too much. I have to climb terrace steps to do much of my gardening. Carrying buckets of dirt sure puts a challenge to lazy muscles that have sat all winter. 🙂
You are so right!
This is a place on my ‘must do’ list.
I understand why. It was really worth a visit.
Beautiful – but my legs ache just thinking about the stairs that must connect that place.
It really was Beautiful! There where mostly hills rather than stairs.
That is just so cool.
It sure is!
What a wonderful tour you had. I love the quaintness of the hillside homes. I would not like to have to walk up hill after a long day at work just to get home though😄
It sure was a lovely tour! The place is one of a kind. I would make sure I lived closer to the sea than I worked, if I had to walk those hills i’d rather do it in the morning.
Me too!
It does seem like the best choice!