Cinque Terre Italy

If you ever get tired of life, bypass the therapist and decamp immediately to Cinque Terre. Here five crazily constructed fishing villages, set amid some of the most dramatic coastal scenery on the planet, ought to provide enough to bolster the most jaded of spirits. A Unesco World Heritage Site since 1997, Cinque Terre isn't the undiscovered Eden it once was but, frankly, who cares? Sinuous paths tempt the antisocial to traverse seemingly impregnable cliffsides, while a 19th-century railway line cut through a series of coastal tunnels ferries the less brave from village to village. Thankfully cars – those most ubiquitous of modern interferences – were banned over a decade ago.

Rooted in antiquity, Cinque Terre's five villages date from the early medieval period. Monterosso, the oldest, was founded in AD 643, when beleaguered hill dwellers moved down to the coast to escape from invading barbarians. Riomaggiore came next, purportedly established in the 8th century by Greek settlers fleeing persecution in Byzantium. The others are Vernazza, Corniglia and Manarola. Much of what remains in the villages today dates from the late High Middle Ages, including several castles and a quintet of illustrious parish churches.

Buildings aside, Cinque Terre's unique historical feature are the steeply terraced cliffs bisected by a complicated system of fields and gardens that have been hacked, chiselled, shaped and layered over the course of nearly two millennia. So marked are these artificial contours that some scholars have compared the extensive muretti (low stone walls) to the Great Wall of China in their grandeur and scope.

In October 2011 flash floods along the Ligurian coast wreaked havoc in Vernazza and Monterosso, burying historic streets and houses under metres of mud and killing half-a-dozen people. As of 2013, most businesses are open again, but check the status of the Sentiero Azzurro (blue walking trail) before you set out.

Enjoy a full-day tour visiting the beautiful Cinque Terre (the five lands) where a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera is punctuated by picturesque small fishing villages. After driving through Tuscany into Liguria, stop in the first Cinque Terre village of Corniglia. Enjoy panoramic views and take spectacular pictures of the land and coast.

After a walk through the delightful village, stop at one of the local bars for a glass of wine accompanied by bruschetta.Your second stop is at the village of Vernazza, arguably the most beautiful of the five villages with a large open harbor, castle and church. Enjoy some free time to walk around and have a relaxing lunch (own expense) at one of the open-air restaurants that lines the waterfront, or take a stroll through the back streets for impressive views along the coast.After your visit to Vernazza, meet your tour escort at a prearranged time for your shared boat ride to Riomaggiore.

While on the boat, ogle the dramatic coastline from the water, framed against the hills. Riomaggiore is the most southern village of the Cinque Terre and its houses are built along the cliff face. Follow your tour escort for a walk around the village and then travel to pretty Manarola.Manarola is one of the oldest villages of the Cinque Terre. Explore the narrow alleys and pretty pastel squares that epitomize the beauty of the area, and perhaps sample some renowned local wine at a cozy wine bar (own expense). After visiting Manarola, leave the Cinque Terre and make your way back Florence where you'll arrive in the early evening.