After 7 days in France, on day 13 of our holiday we headed back to Italy, one of our very favourite countries.
We checked out of the Hotel Aston Le Scala early in the morning, a little grumpy and tired after little sleep and made our way via the tram to Gare de Ville-Nice. Our train was supposed to be leaving a little after 8am but was running quite late and wasn’t even up on the board when we got there. We bought some breakfast and patiently waited for our train.
travelling to santa margherita ligure
We were starting to get tired by this time and the sleepless night didn’t help. We slept much of the way to Genoa which was a three hour trip and then expected to have an hour’s wait before our local train to Santa Margherita Ligure.
Unfortunately as we were starting to find out, Italian trains don’t run as efficiently as trains from other countries. The train we were supposed to catch wasn’t showing in the timetable so we trekked up and down escalators, and worse lots of stairs, with our suitcases trying to find the right platform.
Eventually we came to realise that our train had randomly been cancelled and we had a long wait until the next train. When that train finally arrived, there was little room and we crowded on along with lots of locals.
beware of pickpocketers!
It was here that we had our first experience with pickpocketers – until then we had been successful in avoiding them but after our long trek and the confusion as to which train to catch, we let down our guard a little.
The first potential pickpocketer was actually successful in taking Karl’s wallet from his pocket as he boarded the train with two suitcases to manouevre. Very quickly, he noticed his wallet had gone and started to shout when two Italian girls came up to him and said they found it on the platform. They asked for money to return it which Karl quite innocently doubled in appreciation. It was only later that we suggested to Karl that he had actually been pickpocketed by the girls and that they had panicked and tried to return it when he shouted.
On the train, we settled into the carriage with all our suitcases blocking the aisle and had to make room for another Italian girl to pass. She sat in the seats opposite quite close to us and we didn’t think much of it, even though it would have been more comfortable for her being further away from our suitcases.
As we got up to get ready to leave the train, we had to wait by the entrance for a while and the girl got up too, supposedly to get off the train. Alex however noticed that she was trying to reach into my bag from underneath her scarf and he shouted to her to stop. She glared at Alex and then, with perfect timing, Karl felt back onto me, seemingly forgetting he had a large backpack on, and sent me flying into her. That was the last of her attempts to pickpocket me fortunately, thanks to Alex’s quick thinking and Karl’s lack of balance!
By the time we reached Santa Margherita Ligure, Nick was sick of the Italian Riviera and has still not reversed his conclusion that it is an awful place. He says he won’t ever go back.
the beautiful italian riviera
For most of us, however, that Italian Riviera is absolutely delightful, despite the fact that you have to be wary of thieves. The winding walk through the cobbly streets of Santa Margherita to our hotel was a little hard on the wheels of our suitcases but it was beautiful and charming. As we emerged from the laneways onto the waterfront with boats and yachts, it was a simply lovely sight.
Our hotel was wonderful. We chose to stay at the Hotel Lauris on the waterfront, about a 10 minute walk from the station. We had a lovely balcony facing the water where we could enjoy an evening glass of wine which watching the boats and the people walking by. It was probably the first time on our trip that we actually sat down, had a drink in peace and did nothing for a while.
prestigious portofino
When we arrived however, we were still on a mission to enjoy every minute of our trip. We checked in and then took a ferry to Portofino, the ‘playground of the rich and famous’. (Note since our trip, the beautiful Portofino foreshore and piazza has sadly been washed away by a massive storm).
A word of warning about the ferry – it was extremely windy and it was totally necessary to hold on! I tried to protect myself from the strength of the wind by sitting down low but Karl stayed at the back of the ferry trying to get some good shots. On several occasions, I thought he was going to fly overboard!
The trip however is not long and we were soon in Portofino. For somewhere that is so renowned, it isn’t actually very big. It’s terribly pretty with its coloured buildings, narrow lanes and cobblestones but we visited all the shops within 20 minutes and then found ourselves a little café/restaurant called Bar Morena with outdoor seating for a quick lunch. We really just wanted drinks but we ordered a bit of food to ensure we could have a table as the area was quite full. It was a fairly basic place but the outlook into the square was lovely and it was definitely good enough for a few enjoyable drinks.
We got to the front of the queue for the ferry going back and had a more comfortable journey, enjoying the very pretty views and fresh air.
The view back in Santa Margherita in my opinion is so much better than Portofino. The rows of boats in the harbour are delightful with the mountains in the background and, at night, the lights from Cinque Terre shining from the other side of the water. It is so serene and peaceful. There is a medieval castle to explore too – Castello di Santa Margherita Ligure. Perched on the rocks very close to our hotel, it was built in 1550 as a defence against North African pirates.
Back at the hotel, the concierge gave us some great advice on where to go for dinner that night. We followed the laneways through to a piazza away from the harbour where there were several restaurants with outdoor eating. We were seated at the edge of one restaurant called da Emilio -given it was so crowded, they had to put out some extra tables for us. The food was fine and the piazza was quite nice, nothing incredible but quite pleasant. This is apparently where the locals eat and it seemed significantly less touristy than along the waterfront. The atmosphere was buoyant and lively.
The walk back along the laneways and beside the waterfront was truly lovely with all the lights sparkling on the water and on the distant hills – a peaceful way to end a day of travel.