By Cathy H. Burroughs, International Travel Writer & Adventure Blogger, journeyPod.com
According to The Lonely Planet, “The Italian Riviera is not short of rugged coastline or romantic towns and villages, but the five fishing communities of the Cinque Terre are its most iconic.
Today the five-beaded island necklace of centuries-old, ocean-edge villages with marinas, dive sites, terraced plateaus for vineyards and olive trees and famed trails for hikers, hangs precariously on the jagged uphill terrain of this UNESCO World Heritage site. These fab five car-free village cousins both perch and are nestled on the dramatic terraced farmlands that were literally carved out of the hillsides by the early farmers who relocated here with little knowledge of fishing. For us and the multi-lingual throng of visitors, the fabulous “five lands” animate the supremely beautiful coastline of the Italian Riviera with their own particular brand of pizzazz you may have glimpsed in Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street.
On one ultra hot August day at the midpoint of our three months in Spain, France and Italy, we were treated to a high-speed sampling of the stepping-stone towns that comprise the magical and brightly festooned Cinque Terre by the phenomenal My Tours company(www.mytours.it). Any visitor to Tuscany, Florence, Lucca and surrounds must try to visit at least a couple of Cinque Terre’s “five lands.’” By land, sea and tunnel (by foot, trains that runs on a 19th-century line and boats), it was evident throughout that MY Tours was treating us to an action-packed immersion into all things Cinque Terre. They did an epic job and our effusive, fluent in-at-least-four-languages guide, Litzia kept it moving seamlessly with humor and historical context.
We explored the villages of Manarola, famed for its wine; Vernazza and its secure harbor and maze of vertical stairs and a non-Cinque Terre bonus – the exquisite seaport beach town of Porto Venere with its Gothic Church of St. Peter and its daunting view of Port La Spezia and the sea. Some swam and we all took two breathless boat rides, one through Gulf of Poets, perhaps named for the writers and poets drawn to this bucolic seafront region. It was an idyllic, wind-blown day thoughtfully orchestrated with precision and joie de vivre – delivered with love, Italian style.
Noted for their Fiat 500 tours, adrenalin-fuelled Vespa & Chianti Tours, pizza, gelato, wine and olive oil making experiences, full days in Venice, half days in Pisa and more, it is evident why MY Tours is the winner of the Viator Travel Award. As an added perk there are free walking tours of Florence if you purchase just one tour. Their itineraries take you pretty much anywhere in the region. Out of Florence, this company came highly recommended – and we concur wholeheartedly. Be sure to include this vibrant sherbert-hued, lesser-known locale that public television travel expert Rick Steves has been raving about – Cinque Terre! By all means, do not miss these five exquisite feathers in Tuscany’s very beautiful cap and do partake in MY Tours’ reasonable and completely delightful day-trip – or several – to remember!
MY TOURS
+39 0577 236330 or 055284770
Office +39 0577150340 Fax +39 0577 1959066
Email: info@mytours.it | Web: www.mytours.it
Here international travel writer and blogger Cathy H. Burroughs shares some of her adventures from her three month summer sojourn to the Spanish coast, Southern France and Italy.
