Portofino. Our first day outing. This morning we awoke with anticipation of a day spent outside of Genoa. Frances’ plan was to take us via train to Santa Margherita from where we started our short hike to Portofino. My knowledge of this small tourist spot was limited to the view I had seen when an Italian woman on my train from Rome pointed it out to me through the window and my anticipation was heightened by our circuitous walk along the coast of the Mediterranean. We all brought lunches of crackers, cheese, jam, focaccia bread and fruit, and about halfway to our destination we stopped to enjoy our lunch seaside. Our chosen eating spot was a small vista that projected over the water and provided views of Santa Margherita and the Mediterranean Sea. Continuing our walk we spotted many houses and castles of which we all longed to see more, imagining that one of us might one day own one as a vacation spot of which we could all make use of.
After walking and walking (which we seem to do a lot of around here) we made the turn around the last little inlet and were finally able to see our destination. The harbor was dotted with sailboats and the coast was lined with houses all painted in pastel colors. Our walk would still require us to pass various private beaches and covetable houses before we reached the harbor with its many shops and restaurants. From there we decided to continue our trek up the hill to the Church of San Giorgio. Its location high above Portofino gave us the opportunity to take postcard perfect photos of the harbor. On the way back down we ventured into many of the local shops perusing the linen that Portofino is known for and making purchases of scarves and table linens for ourselves and those waiting at home. Our trip was finalized with a stop at a snack bar where we shared olives and peanuts as well as various libations before boarding a bus back to the train station.
Arriving back at the villa, we decided to take the evening easy. Meals were created from the many leftover ingredients this week in Genoa has provided including pasta, arugula, chickpeas and gnocchi before we all decided to call it an early night. After all, tomorrow is the beginning of a new week, one which I imagine will be full of as much documenting, eating and exploring as this last.
Buonanotte!
Megan
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- The whole gang enjoying lunch and the view
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- A gorgeous view of the sea during lunch
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- Everyone taking advantage of the perfect photo spot
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- The class learning a bit about how Portofino functions and is laid out
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- The vista from our water-side Portofino snack perch
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- The amazing and beautiful rocky coast of Portofino
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- The amazing postcard-view from the top of the hill at San Giorgio