Thanks for the suggestions! We were only planning to go to Camogli to stay because we heard about Portofino being expensive, but SML looks perfect to do a day trip from! We could spend one day in Portofino and then the other in either SML or Rapallo. Which do you think would be more romantic between SML and Rapallo?

I looked up some flight prices and it looks like we can get some decent timed + priced flights into Trieste and out of Genova which is such a relief because originally flight seemed to arrive very late and we would have lost a little bit of time we'd get on "day 0". So I think our itinerary would be fine and the only downside would be spending the weekends at Trieste + Venice and then Portofino.

Thanks for the Como tips! We were thinking of only visiting Varenna and Bellagio but maybe doing the boat ride either from Como to Bellagio or back.

Everybody's idea of romance is different but Santa Margherita Ligure is boutique and generally caters to a youthful party crowd from Milan/Torino. Rapallo is more practical, less stylish.

The way to beat the crowds in Portofino is to go in the latter part of the afternoon. Consider taking the train to Camogli in the morning, and seeing what it is like, then take a boat to San Fruttuoso for lunch (reserve ahead on a weekend). Take the boat after that to Portofino, by which time most the cruise shippers will be heading out. If it is still too crowded for your taste, walk uphill to the Castle or the cemetery. People who go to Portofino generally just hang out in the harbor. You can take the bus or boat back to Santa Margherita Ligure from Portofino, or even walk if you've enough daylight left (don't walk unless you are sure you do have enough daylight left).

That sounds great! Thank you for the itinerary suggestions. It looks like we will try to divide our time between SML, Camogli and Portofino, staying in SML. sandralist, do you have any restaurant recommendations in SML and Trieste? We are planning to go back to the restaurants I had gone to in Venice before but when I was in Rome, I didn't plan anything and ended up having 2 pricey bad meals.

No specific resto reccomends in SML but fish in this still real fishing port is a house specialty many places.