Riomaggiore - Portofino

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Today is our last day staying at Riomaggiore. We decided to spend it by visiting Portofino since Mum has woven a tapestry of it in our house. It also has a reputation of being a beautiful place. The weather was cloudy and not that warm when we left but further north and west proved very warm despite the cloud as the day went on.
We took the 80min train ride to Santa Margherita and walked to Portofino along the coastal boardwalk and hill path into the town. The area here is distinctively meditteranean with mansions on the hills, palm trees and other tropical plants, people sunbathing on the small beaches, clear water, and small and large boats. There are boats and buses that can be used between the towns but the walk was lovely with few people along the way. It is about 6km each way.
I don’t know what I expected, but Portofino wasn’t quite as impressive as I thought it might be. It is a nice town around a small harbour but I think the towns further down the coast along the Cinque Terre area are nicer. It wasn’t helped by boats arriving with tourists in their droves making movement difficult. Very much a tourist town.
We then walked back to Santa Margherita and found an excellent bar down at the harbour to relax and enjoy a beer. Back again in Riomaggiore we found that the mad pianist had finally had a day of not playing so we could actually stand out on the balcony people watching without his noise. Hooray! Now it’s time to pack our bags, eat out again, pay our bill and move on to Portogruaro (Venice) tomorrow.
So, our over all view of the Cinque Terre? It is really nice and worth the visit for the beauty and uniqueness. However, despite coming here relatively early by holiday standards, it is far too crowded with tourists especially since the walking track is often single lane. Pick your time before or after peak time. Alternatively, stay elsewhere, visit the towns by boat or train, and walk somewhere else as there are walking tracks all over the region which will equally give you great views and experiences. However, “The Walk” of the 5 towns is the experience that people come for, so maybe you put up with the people numbers and go for it. We, in New Zealand are very spoilt with our vast open spaces and regulated tracks that limit numbers at any one time on the more popular tracks.

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Photos

Portofino
Portofino from the boat harbour side of town