Traveler story: Visiting northern Italy

A veteran globetrotter, Lisa has been all over the world with Go Ahead. But in all her years of traveling, an opportunity to head overseas with her sister, Leslie, never presented itself. So last spring when their schedules finally aligned, they jumped at the chance to explore the landscapes of Italy together on our Northern Italy & Cinque Terre Walking Tour. Here, Lisa dishes on some of their favorite moments.

Sometimes, the things that are the biggest challenges turn out to be the most rewarding. Feeling indestructible after our successful trek through the Dolomites, we were ready to take on the paths connecting the towns of Cinque Terre. As these trails wind up and down oceanside cliffs, we quickly found out that they’re not only beautiful but challenging as well. Needless to say, we earned our pasta dinner by the time we reached the end of the path. Just as our group was making its way into Monterosso, we were met by a trio of musicians who welcomed us with their music. What a wonderful pick-me-up that was!

That same hike was one of my favorites because of all the stunning views it afforded. There was one point in the path that made us all take pause: As we looked out over the glittering Ligurian Sea, we could see boats motoring out toward the horizon, rocky cliff faces descending dramatically to meet the water, and in the distance peeking out from behind an outcrop, one of the Cinque Terre villages. It was one of the most rewarding views of the whole trip.

If you ask me, Walking Tours are the gem of all Go Ahead tours because they allow you to immerse yourself in smaller towns and give you the opportunity to get to know the locals. This tour did not disappoint. After our time hiking through Cinque Terre, and across the rest of Northern Italy for that matter, I returned home with a deeper connection to one of my favorite countries than I ever could have imagined.

Have you ever been to on a Walking Tour? Share the highlights from your trip on Facebook!