Want to get away from Florence for a bit and to see more Italian eye candy? On a two hour tour bus ride up the northern coast of Italy, before hitting Genoa, you'll find five little towns made up of cute little fishing villages called The Cinque Terre. In mideival times, Cinque Terre was known as The Five Castles. Castles fronted these towns to protect them from the Turkish pirate raids. and to this day are still standing but for more aesthtics than anything. Once, there were no more threats of invasion, the town florished and the main commodities that helped this community thrive were grapes, olives, and fish. Each village is quite the view with it's 10 kilometer stretch of wine vinyards and olive farms and grand views of the Ligurian Sea.
Beautifully isolated along the Italian Riviera. The towns are crowded with tourists and traffic free. No cars are allowed in these little ancient villages not even a Twizzy. Only smiling people and their dogs. All though you can catch a train, it will take a bit longer (3 hours at least). Take a tour with Ciao Florence if you don't want to figure out how to get there on your own. You can take the tour. Meet up and relax along the way. Perfecto!
Hopefully, you will get Luca as a guide. He's quite fun and entertaining. Ciao Tours will let you wander on your own and show you the meeting points and give you the times to meet. If you don't show up on time....sorry to say, they will leave you. You can call the office and they can help you get back. Simply be aware of the time and head back at least 5-10 minutes before th meeting time depending on how far you've gone. Never head back at the time to meet. It will be too late. Most villages aren't very big, however, if you find yourself sitting anf relaxing longer than usual...Ciao Ciao!! You will be the mockery of the Luca's group (in a humorous way) that is of course if you make it back before they leave you! Let's just say the Hogz were almost the center of attention on one stop. One tourist, named Eduardo, who was almost left behind was the joke of the group at the rest of the stops and even the end of the tour. Lesson here....BE ON TIME TO THE MEETING SPOTS. Very important!
Each village was quite the view with it's 10 kilometer stretch of wine vinyards and olive farms. There's plenty of places to shop and eat with astounding views. The tour stops breifly at three of the towns, Manarola, Vernazza, Riomaggiore, and one longer stay at Monterosso. (There is only time for four villages on the tour) Monterosso is the place where you can hang out for about 2.5 hours. The water is beautiful in all of these villages, but Monterosso takes the cake! Pull out the swimsuits and selfie sticks to capture the crystal clear water and breathtaking sights. Grabbing a bite to eat in Monterosso is the best place to eat if you would like a view with your entree. Try walking and exploring places before making a quick decision. There is a restaurant you may want to check out which sits near one of the castles high above the sea. The Hogz had eaten at the town prior so their time was spent oogling the views and the T.H.A.T. (The Travel Hogz Aerial Team) was busy capturing amazing aerial views for YOU!