Tuesday, November 06, 2007

The Ligurian Coast: Portofino





This fall, during Sarah's school break, we had less energy to plan or go on a big trip like we did last year to Italy. We still decided to go to Italy, just for less time and a bit closer to home. We chose to visit several villages along the picturesque Ligurian coast, including Portofino and the Cinque Terre. Here's a brief description of our first day.


We left Aix on a Wednesday morning and headed east making it to the Italian border in 2 1/2 hours, passing by San Remo and Genoa on the autostrada. Our first detour was a visit to Portofino. The drive out to this peninsula port town is not for the weak stomached! From Rapallo we drove through Santa Margherita and then hit lots of twisty, windy roads as we approached Portofino.


We arrived in Portofino and found... lots of WIND!!! We parked the car and bundled up to brave the elements! Here, as Sarah and I are walking down to the harbor, we are leaning into, and being held up by, the wind!









The town was adorable and the buildings lovely and colorful against the blue autumn sky...




It was not a day to be out sailing on the Mediterranean!




While Nick preferred to examine the boats in detail, Sarah and I wandered around town a bit...





They use a lot of black and white stones to make these lovely mosaics in the walkways...





We climbed up a long pathway a ridge above the harbor where we could look out at the stormy sea.




When we came down, a couple nearby made a rare offer, which we gladly accepted, to take a picture of the three of us....




Once back in the car, we were off to the next coastal town of Levanto, just next to the Cinque Terre, where we would stay for the next three days.

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