santa margherita ligure - the italian riviera

santa margherita ligure - the italian riviera

1 Jun 2018

I spent last week scooting around the Italian Riviera and it was just as good as it sounds.



I stayed in Santa Margherita Ligure, a lovely seaside resort, 5 kilometres from Portofino. From Santa Margherita you can walk to Portofino, or you can catch a bus or a ferry if you prefer. Whilst Portofino is pretty, it's also tiny, over crowded and expensive so I was very glad I chose not to stay there.



These photos were taken during my walk from Santa Margherita Ligure to Portofino.



Most of the walk clings to the coastline.



The final stretch deviates from the road and you climb into the Portofino National Park where you spy this magnificent villa. I wonder who owns it? It would have the most spectacular views.



You enter Portofino where once you make your way through the crowds, this is what you find.



I didn't fancy walking another 5 kms back home so I jumped on a bus back to Santa Margherita Ligure.



I did climb up the hill to visit the Villa Durazzo though. 



It's set in beautiful gardens overlooking the coastline.



Down-town where I found some beautiful Italian tomatoes.



The next day was a bit gloomy but undeterred I set out for the nearby fishing village of Camogli. I planned to walk from Camogli to San Fruttuoso to visit the Abbey. The Abbey can only be reached by sea or by hiking in. I decided to hike in to San Fruttuoso then catch the ferry back home to Santa Margherita Ligure.



Camogli is just a 5 minute train journey from Santa Margherita Ligure but the 2 towns are quite different.



Santa Margherita Ligure feels like a resort town while Camogli is a working fishing village.



It would have been lovely to arrive there by boat.



However I had a walk to do and no map with which to do it. I'd been assured by other blogs that the walk was well marked so off I set. The first leg of the journey was to San Rocco and I found that trail easy to follow.



You walked higher and higher, giving you these views over Camogli.



The next part of the walk I found a bit more tricky because I couldn't find it. The symbol for the second half of the walk changed and it took me about 30 minutes before I could track down the correct symbol. I couldn't access any data on my phone up there in the National Park so in the end I retraced my steps and basically followed my nose until I located a sign for the Portofino National Park. I was back on track.



I just about had this walk to myself. I saw a mountain biker, a guy running along the track and heading in the opposite direction, 5 people coming from San Fruttuoso. The second half of the walk was mainly through forest and lots of descent, so not very scenic until eventually you arrive in San Fruttuoso and the Doria Tower. Then you see this through the trees.




It was a hot day once the clouds cleared and I wish I could say I had the place to myself but I didn't. There was a ferry load of people on the very small beach so I headed in the opposite direction.



I found this cute little beachside restaurant.



and a different view point of the beach and and abbey



And finally this lovely cove. I'd thought about continuing the walk onto Portofino but by this time my quads had gone all wibbly wobbly so I jumped on the ferry back to Santa Margherita.





I'd heard how busy the Cinqueterre was at this time of year so on my last day in Santa Margherita I jumped on the train to have a look at the village of Vernazza. It was so crowded with hikers and day trippers as to be unpleasant and I was there for a total of 40 minutes before jumping on the first train back to Santa Margherita. 

See you all again next week with some pictures from my stay in Portovenere at the southern tip of the Italian Riviera.

Bye for now,

Jillian

Read more

genoa

genoa

28 May 2018

I knew long before going on holidays that I'd be heading to Italy this year. My last trip was in 2005, so a return trip was long overdue. I've been to Rome, Florence and Venice a few times before and Sicily but wanted to visit an area I'd not visited before. I thought about going to Matera. Then I thought about going to Molise but when I saw my brother's photos from Genoa and the Italian Riviera, I was sold and borrowed his Italian travel guide and planned my itinerary.




First destination was Genoa and from there down the Italian Riviera to Santa Margherita Ligure and Portovenere before heading across to Florence and Rome for some eating and shopping.



Genoa is a vibrant, noisy port city and my accommodation was down on the docks near the Maritime Museum.



I arrived about 6.30 the first night and went for a walk in the old town, which are filled with narrow laneways called caruggi.



I had 3 days in Genoa and bought a museum card so naturally I visited a few museums. Most museums are housed in palazzos and if you ever wondered the derivation of palatial, a walk through one of these mansions would confirm your suspicions.



 They are magnificent in all their frescoed glory.



The art gallery is housed in 3 palazzo, but most of the artwork is housed in the Palazzo Rosso and Bianco.



The Palazzo Rosso has a mirador from which you can view all of Genoa. I was taken up there by one of the museum attendants and it was a warm day so I didn't stay up there for too long. 



The church is guarded by a few of these lions.



Not far away is another church, the Gesu. 



Most of the churches are located in lively piazzas with cafes, focaccarias and gelataria.




Each alleyway morphed into another vibrant piazza. By the end of my stay I could navigate my way confidently around the caruggi. 




At the start I had to leave a trail of breadcrumbs so I could find my way home.




Before venturing into any more museums I took a ride in one of Genoa's elevators for a birds eye view of the city.




but I walked back down again.


I found all sorts of interesting things as I made my way around the city.



Most of the banks are located in palazzo on Via Garibaldi formerly known as Strada Nuova or new street. Many of these palaces were open to the public the weekend I was in town.



This vespa was parked around the corner from the Palazzo Spinola, my favourite palazzo.



The Palazzo houses an art gallery but it's real treasures are found in the family apartments.



Complete with a mirrored room, because every palazzo needs one as I was to discover.



I could see an imposing building from my apartment which I learned was the Palazzo Reale.



Dripping with artworks



and the obligatory hall of mirrors complete with chandeliers. Nothing says success like excess seems to have been their motto!



By my last day I was museumed out and as it was a Sunday, most of the shops weren't open. I'd planned to catch a ferry to Camogli but didn't have enough time to unload my shopping from Eataly and get back in time. 



Parking genovese style


I roamed around the closed shopping streets and walked around the dock area which was buzzing.



I hope you enjoyed my visit to Genoa, which was unexpectedly enjoyable. The city is a bit rough around the edges but it's filled to bursting with art treasures and the food was great. There are plenty of tourists in town but in manageable numbers unlike Florence. 

Next blog post will be about the Italian Riviera, so until then.

Bye for now,

Jillian

Read more