Blogs from Liguria, Italy, Europe - page 3

Nervi is one of the suburbs of Genoa and is 15 km from the city centre, in the countryside. The walk along the seaside promenade is called Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi and follows cliffs and beaches along the way. There are also four museums in Nervi. There is Museo Giannettino Luxoro with clock exhibits, The Wolfsoniana which houses architectural drawings and sketches and Galleria d'Arte Moderno with famous 19th and 20th century paintings. There is also a park called Parchi di Nervi.... read more

Last week, we spent four nights with Joanne, a lovely and lively SERVAS host in a villa in Buonconvento, Tuscany. Her house has a stone date of 1731, but Joanne has found records of a “building” from at least a hundred years before....most likely a building for animals. Today, it is a traditional 2 story home that shares a courtyard with two other owners. A vintner occupies the largest home and she not only produces wine, but teaches cooking classes. The wine is GUASPARINO (Fattoria Resta) and we have to say that it was one of the BEST red wines we have ever tasted. She often gives a leftover from the cooking class half bottle to Joanne, who shared it with us. This is a second home for Joanne, who holds three passports: English (birth), Canadian ... read more

Day 21 : Thursday 26 September 2019 : Portofino kayak tour Today was a bit of a free day and the sun is out so we decided to do a kayak tour (€210) back to Portofino in the afternoon. ☹ Not as calm as it has been previously but the water is so clear, inviting and warm. The kayak was great, Portofino was so much quieter but 2 hours later I was seasick!. Yep, on a kayak no less, turns out that the girls weren’t far behind me. Still had a great time. Can’t tell you how beautiful the water is. Had to stop and settle the tummy, so we stop at the bar at Paraggi Bay with beautiful views, what else would you do? But I had to have a coke, no wine ☹. Morning ... read more

Day 19 : Tuesday 24 September 2019 : Portofino We wandered into the heart of Santa Margherita, and thought about bussing it to Portofino, but decided by the time we worked it out, we could already be there. Besides, it’s another beautiful day in the land of Italy and the sun is shining off the water. Okay, long walk, but so worth it. Paraggi Bay on the way to Portofino was magnificent and should never be missed. If I had to do it over, its definitely worth a swim…just dive on in. Never seen such inviting water, so deep, calm and clear azure blue. You just want to jump in. We decided we would swim on the way back, but you should never wait, take the moment! Magnificent walk over the hill and through the trees ... read more

Day 17 : Sunday 22 September 2019 : Riomaggiore and Manarola The rain has come. More like drizzle but we’re taking the train to Riomaggiore (€16 OW). Sensational and very hilly. Strangely quiet. Not many places open on the main street, (not sure if it’s because it’s Sunday or the rain) but morning tea is great, calamari! Riomaggiore is everything that you see in the photos. The photos of the Cinque Terre are mostly of Riomaggiore. Its easy to see. There’s some dark clouds hanging around. We walked around through to the little beach. On the way there were some big waves washing over the rocks, and the ferries stopped operating, must be expecting rough seas. Walked right around the bend to the little pebble beach (Riomaggiore beach). Hard to believe that we were swimming yesterday. ... read more