bettyo70

Hi Everyone,

I am counting down the days to our Italian Riviera trip and want to thanks ekscrunchy, zeppole and the countless other people who have been so helpful in my planning.

If anyone wants to weigh in with comments and suggestions, here is our "loose itinerary" below:

6 nights, with a home base in CAMOGLI, staying close to the sea harbor;

1) drive to and park in MONTEROSSO; ferry to VERNAZZA; rent a boat in Vernazza, exploring all the coves and getting amazing views of the Cinque Terre; after a sunset dinner in Vernazza, train back to Monterosso & drive home;

2) park again in Monterosso; ferry to RIOMAGGIORE; do the hikes from Rio all the way to Corniglia, stopping in Manarola; find our way back to Monterosso in the evening before heading home;

3) ferry to SAN FRUTTUOSO from Camogli in the morning; explore abbey and swim if weather is good; back to Camogli; walk around and explore town of Camogli, including looking for that cool wood furniture store that someone on Fodor's recommended

4) on another day, ferry to PORTOFINO (via Santa Margherita); hike all the way up to the lighthouse for amazing views, maybe stop in the sculpture park; ferry home

5) one early evening, enjoy an apperitif and people-watch in "Sabor" in SANTA MARGHERITA; drive to Paraggi to enjoy our "Club Night" (whenever I'm in Europe I have to do atleast one nightclub because it's a blast)

6) time permitting: bus or hike to SAN ROCCO from Camogli; stop for a coffee, then hike to PUNTA CHIAPPA, enjoying the great views; look for that wonderful fish restaurant in Punta Chiappa right along the sea; take water taxi directly back home to Camogli;

7) if ANY time permits, take an overnight trip to any of the following: Balzo Rossi Caves (closer to French border); Genoa (not sure if we want to see a big city on this trip); Albegna (to explore the may castles in the area); Luni (Roman ruins!); -- this is the "wild card" extra day or so

Whew! Would love to hear your input...

Vincenzoda

My best congratulations; never or very seldom I read a so well done, lovely and wise itineray plan for a trip.
I am sure you will enjoy it very much and, really, you deserve it !!!
Ciao.

Vincenzo

bettyo70

Ciao Vincenzo,

Yep, I love planning trips. It takes time and energy, but it's so worth it in the end...

Cheers!

toni_g_b

Just a heads up about Portofino! If you want to stop for a beer or glass of house wine at one of the bars around the harbor, ask the price first. We had just that this past July and the bill was 37 Euro. I guess it's all about the location but....

bettyo70

Thanks, toni! I've been plenty warned about Portofino. Actually we will ONLY be hiking in Portofino for the views (which I hope is FREE)... and we'll even bring our own bottled water, LOL!

zeppole

Hi, betty070,

I just came back from an afterdinner stroll in Camogli and the town is hopping in August, but lovely fun. Everybody out enjoying a gelato along the seaside.

Some tips:

If you don't already have it, buy David Downie's guide to the Food and Wine of Genoa and the Italian Riviera. It's got great descriptions and pictures of the towns as well as recommendations for eats.

If you get a rainy day on one of the days you plan to be in le Cinque Terre, consider a train trip to Chiavari instead. Walk away from the seaside, into the heart of the old town at the base of the hills. It's all porticoes, so you won't suffer the rain. For lunch, try either Caffe Defilla or Luchin (for farinata!. You can ask the locals to point the way. By the way, Chiavari is one of the most famous woodworking towns in Italy, making a chair that is called a "chiavari".

If you find le Cinque Terre is not what you expected it to be, another fine outing by car or train is to Sestri Levante. Have a sunset drink on the isthmus, and enjoy an octopus dinner at Polpo Mario.

If the weather on the day you go to San Fruttuoso, you can walk to Portofino, or take a boat to Portofino from San Fruttuoso. I like to take a boat into Portofino, so you don't need to go to Santa Margherita to get to Portofino. You can do it from Camogli.

If you are the poster who liked croissants for breakfast, there is a bakery in Camogli owned by French people. They make their croissants -- called brioche here -- the way Italians like them, not French people -- which means less butter, and a tougher, yeastier dough (sometimes with a tastable touch of salt). If you don't want it stuffed with apricot "marmalata", ask for it "vuoto." The bakery is Rizzo's, and it is one on the via delle Republica in Camogli, and it's closer to the "church end" of town, as opposed to the train station end. I also think they have the best plain foccacia in town.

Hope you have a great visit here!

bettyo70

Ciao ZEPPOLE,

I'm so happy that Camogli is not a cruise-ship town and there is no McDonald's... whoopee!!

We are staying at Casa Feretto on via xx septembre with a few of the sea. (Heaven!!) The proprietor said there are many good bakeries right nearby.

Zeppole: Do you happen to know any fishermen in town who sell their daily catch? My mother-in-law is a great cook and we have a kitchen at our disposal...

CHIAVARI sounds wonderful! I will consider that as a great alternative to going into Genoa.

Regarding SANTA MARGHERITA: I know it's a "cruise-ship town" now, but I still look forward to people-watching there. Sabot on SM's harbor has been recommended to me as a great place to catch a sunset drink and free appetizers! Plus, it is right next to our clubbing venture in Paraggi. Cheers, and happy eating! Save some farinata for me...

bettyo70

Sorry, meant to say "view of the sea", not "few".

notbob

Wouldn't it be a great deal easier to just take the train from Camogli to Monterosso? It looks like it takes about an hour. Driving will probably take you longer and someone will need to skip the wine at dinner to drive back.

aprillilacs

betty,

Your trip sounds like it will be heavenly. I am so enamored of that area, after our visit there (based in SM) at the end of May. I wrote up a report on our days there, as part of the trip report I posted as "40 days..." (it's still unfinished--40 days are a long time!) Scroll down to "Part 5," starting on May 30, if you're interested in reading it.

A highlight, besides what you are already planning to do, is to walk on the lovely path from Portofino to Santa Margherita. It doesn't take too long, and it's a beautiful walk. Then you can either take a boat to Camogli or catch the bus in SM that goes over the hill to Camogli. We took that a few times because it stops in San Lorenzo, near where our B&B was located.

Though we had a car, we found it preferable to take the train to the Cinque Terre. You might think about doing that, at least for your second trip to the area if you don't want to hassle with the car again.

Enjoy! I know you will have a wonderful time.

zeppole

Betty,

There is a fish store on the staircase between the via della Republica and the port, just before you get to the "gate" at the end of town. You can't miss it, or just ask anybody.

What week will you be here?

Samsaf

betty, this sounds like a great itinerary! Please be sure to post a trip report when you get back. Thanks!

bettyo70

notbob: Hubby loves to drive and is a great driver. Plus, I'm mildly clausterphobic on trains. And I heard trains in the area go through a lot of tunnels, so you don't get much scenery.

april: When I get a chance, I'll check out your trip report for sure! I'm curious to rad about San Lorenzo.

zeppole: Thanks. We'll be in that area from September 17 until the 23rd.

I would also love to hear more about LUNI and ALBENGA if anyone has been there. Cheers!

bettyo70

samsaf: Will do!

zeppole

betty070,

That's a great time to be here!

Be prepared for the fact that the cars also go through tunnels around here - the mountains are VERY high. If you enjoy scenery, and don't get motion sickness easily, the buses from Camogli are marvelously scenic, especially to Santa Marherita Ligure/Rapallo and to San Rocco di Camogli.

Also, if your husband likes to drive, take the road up to the Portofino Kulm (just above Camogli) for the views in both directions -- to Genova in one direction and to Portovenere in the other.

I've never been to Luni (or Albenga) but if you go to Luni, think about including Sarzana on your day trip. The town was designed by the same town planners who completed Lucca. It's just up the road from Luni.

http://images.google.com/images?clie...N&hl=en&tab=wi

bettyo70

zeppole:

Sarzana looks sooooo cool!! (Who needs Tuscany?... LOL) Thanks for posting that.

I actually will be using those motion-sickness wrist- bands to help with all the car's twists and turns. It will be worth it for all the great views!! Cheers!

zeppole

who needs Tuscany indeed?

If Tuscany has a hilltown as fantastic as Apricale (near the French border), I've yet to see it:

http://www.liguriaproperties.com/public/apricale.jpg

http://apricale.info/apricale/holida...ut_in_the_area

or cervo

http://www.aromaticadianese.com/old/...da_mare_09.jpg

and just no end of pretty campanille

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ca...ers_in_Liguria

zeppole

Velva, above Sestri Levante

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...a-IMG_0746.JPG

bettyo70

Zeppole,

How much time did you spend in APRICALE? Was it a daytrip? It actually looks pretty small from that first photo. Very impressive though!!

My ideal is find a castle in the area to explore, surrounded by a beautiful forest and lake.

Have you visited NOLI and FINALEBORGO as well? They look gorgeous in photos, though I was told Noli is quite small.

zeppole

Most of the coastal towns of Liguria are really not much bigger than Camogli, and many are smaller. The geography of Liguria -- as you will see -- is all about rivers and streams that flow from the mountains to the sea. Where they meet the sea, people started a village, a town or a city -- depending on how wide the river is. Genova has several large rivers pouring through it. Camogli has a fairly tiny one. So do Noli and Finaleborgo.

The other way to start a town in this area was to climb up high on some rock to get away from mosquitoes and pirates -- and then build a big church! It wasn't easy to build up there, so the towns are small. Plus Ligurians tended to be kind of crabby. They preferred living on their own rock and letting their relatives go live on the next rock a few miles away. Makes for lots of little small hilltowns.

Apricale is very small -- and very steep! It's just above another pretty medieval town above San Remo called Dolceacqua, which makes the best red wine in Liguria. Dolceacqua is more a river town:

http://petanqueandpastis.typepad.com...eet_it_is.html

You really might enjoy picking up David Downie's book because he mentions all kinds of marvelous hilltowns very near Camogli and gives very specific driving directions to them. The beautiful little town of Ortonova above Luni is mentioned

http://www.provincia.sp.it/flex/imag...b/Ortonovo.jpg

plus lots of driving tours near Noli or the French border.

Also, if you can find an old copy of the Italian Touring Club guide for the Italian Rivieria in ENGLISH, it's worth buying. They no longer publish it in English, but sometimes you can find used copies through Amazon. It has interesting driving tours.

Liguria is just filled with fascinating, no-tourist towns with lovely views and food, or wild sights

http://www.montemarcello.com/default_ing.asp

http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/birdingitalynet/8869/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monumen...y_of_Staglieno

If your husband likes to drive, just head up into the hills on your own. You won't be disappointed.