Cinque Terre

On our third day in Florence, we took a day trip to Cinque Terre which consists of five cities,  or "lands", on the coast and cliffs of the Mediterranean. It was a two hour train ride to the first town and from there different shuttles can take you between the cities, or you can take hour long, scenic hikes between the villages. We did half and half. Hike there, ride back.

The water was so blue...and I was in ocean withdrawal so that made it even more breathtaking.

The group in our hiking clothes.

Those were some definite cliffs. No sandy beaches here.

From the hiking trail, you can see the village we just left. At the last village there was a sandy beach and after all the hiking we had just done we were more than ready to dive on in and cool off. Beach comparisons: Cinque Terre was more rocky, but the water was a bit warmer than the Pacific and more buoyant too, which is always fun :)