Ok, enzian. You're in! But mum's the word.

Traviata,

I've eaten in the Spaghetteria. Right in the open window, in fact. It's so tiny that, after dinner, it seemed more logical to go out the window than squeeze my way past all the tables and chairs and diners having their pasta.

Hope you make to Da Paola's. Really delicious. I also had a very nice inexpensive lunch right under the portico that separates the via Garibaldi (the main waterside promenade) and the boat marina. It's got a wooden dock that floats on the water. I don't know the name.

There is also a Spanish restaurant with fantastic seafood just a stone's throw from Da Paola's, up the incline from the marina. And if you'd like to see the view from the north looking south (instead of Cenobio's), walk up the hill toward Genoa to sit on Rosa's panoramic terrace. The food is very authentic and good.

I don't much care for the food at La Primula, but the drinks and coffee are terrific, and it's the best spot for counting how many knit suits go by.

Sometime when the weather is sunny, take a boat to Portofino. It's just as repulsive as you imagine culturally, but the boat ride is great and entering the harbor is lovely. Just don't bother to get off the boat. Seriously. Take it back to Camogli.

e & t,

True story: The first year we went to Camogli, my husband and I had a short list of day trips -- to Genoa, CT, maybe Portofino.

Every day, I would wake up and make some excuse not to go. Really lame excuses. It was just so nice in Camogli, I didn't want to leave. And my husband was always relieved he didn't have to move from his lounge chair, where he spent most of the day reading. And then we'd swim for awhile. Nap. Take walks or tiny hikes. Nice.

Nessun,

We had that VERY table by the window!!!...have had to eat at Primula when nothing else was available and it was disappointing, except for the view..AND there were no "you know whats" in Camogli.....!!

I will copy your suggestions to take along...we are always at a bit of a loss for eating because it is so seasonal and so much is closed, but this will be a great help....

I have been to Portofino for a day trip, but much preferred Portovenere..we walked the harbor early in the morning and were the only people there...my kind of place!!

In autumn I will visit Portovenere. I've always wanted to.

There is another restaurant in Camogli whose name utterly escapes me, but it is great for fresh seafood, especially if you junk the menu and just ask them what's good for that day. It's right at the boat marina -- between the arched portico and where the boats to Portofino leave. For some reason, the name "Aprile" sticks in my head, but I don't know where. It has a little outdoor seating area framed by planters with boxwoods. It's not really cheap, but it's slightly cheaper than La Primula.

nessun,

The water in Portovenere was the most beautiful color....we had an incredible lunch right on the harbor at Trattoria Tre Torri.....it should be fairly quiet in the fall... I can still see the view from the church of San Pietro...

Traviata--you are not the only one who has never been to CT . . . . I have been to Portofino, but that was in college a long, long, time ago. I have told my step-daughter (13) that we will take her to Italy "soon", and I am looking for the right place to put on the end of a trip to Switzerland so that she will love Italy too. Camogli sounds like a much better place for that than CT. And N. says it is a place you make excuses not to leave. Sounds just right.

I really disliked being in the CT when I finally did visit CT a year or two later, simply because of the ridiculous crush of tourists all standing around looking bewildered at the total absence of anything to do except climb high into the hills -- which very few of them were willing to do (and I don't really blame them -- it was quite hot in September). So they tended to congregate in masses around the touristy cafes and knick-knack shops. My husband and I did go walk up to the top of the towns, where there is still some villagey charm. But one still gets the sense of a place whose local culture has been totally smothered by mass tourism.

Why all the talk about Camogli? The question is about the CT, and that is a long way from Camogli. And, Kris, you did say luxury lodging in your title--did you not mean that?

Bob,

Well, you are right...but, it was getting late..the mind wanders and remembers, and one thought lead to the next and to the next and..to the next..

It's not such a long way from Camogli by train or car.

If you want the CT why stay 1:30 away from there--makes no sense.

Also, talk of Camogli is totally appropriate since krissykris said:

"We like uncrowded places, beautiful beaches, snorkeling, and prefer a place with a sea view. We want to do more hiking here, wine tasting and in general."

There is no snorkeling in CT, as far as I know, but there is Camogli. Likewise, the hikes in the Portofino hills are prized by many over those in CT. And CT is crowded; Camogli is not.

Sometimes it's only by wandering that you discover something better than you planned.

Bob---the talk of Camogli started because it seemed to meet the OP's stated desires better than CT. Then I asked for more information about it because I liked the sound of the place. Krissy did not really want "luxury" lodging after all and has started a different thread.

Nessundorma,

I have to ask, (but, you don't have to answer..) how do you come by your encyclopedic knowledge about Italy?? Is it job related or just a "love affair of the heart"??

And Bob, I know this isn't about CT, but I can't resist asking...Nessun has offered soooo much help..

Hi I would vote for villa edera in Moniglia. Part of the hotel is a renovated castle tower. We stayed in the monteleone room that over looked the town and beach. It is a quaint little town the train station is a block away down a hill and very convenient for touring the CT. The towere has been beautifully renovated, there only 5 rooms in the tower and only the guests in the tower have a key. It has its own stone patio overlooking the ocean. The hotels restaurant was very good and it had a very nice pool as well. The cost was about $280 per night but well worth it.

Thanks for the compliment, Traviata, but what I know about Italy is miniscule, given the fact that just about every square mile of Italy is loaded and layered with fascinating history and art and/or scenic beauty. But yes, I love Italy -- or at least most of it! It's a very enjoyable place to be.

Obviously I've traveled at lot in Italy, but my usual mode of plotting a trip is to google like crazy for out of the way places and bargains and odd bits of information, and then pursue that -- as opposed to the better known stuff. Just like you've never been to CT, I've never really "done" Tuscany except for Firenze (and then I went in the depths of winter). Even when I go to the more famous places, I usually end up in some out of the way corner of it, and only rarely do I regret my choices. What also adds to the storehouse is driving in Italy, because you really do end up experiencing a lot that is away from being catered to by hotels and places that cater to foreign tourists.

But even more than being well-traveled in Italy, I have a quirkily prodigious memory for all the information I've gathered in preparing for a trip and most of the places I've been. Although I'm sometimes hazy on the names of restaurants where I've eaten!

By the way, I was able to find on the internet the name of that other good restaurant facing the boat harbor in Camogli. It's Ristorante Vento Ariel.

Well,nessun...it likely is "miniscule" when you think of all there is to know and learn, but it is very impressive to me...I feel as if I could ask hundreds of questions and you would supply all the answers....Thank you for all you have taught me...

Try to find some time for Tuscany.....I always think of Italy as a woman and in the Val d'Orcia, she is at her sensual, flirtatious, best..

Is the restaurant situated after the arches by the water, past Spagetteria, past the street up the hill on the right....is it set back from the road a bit with an area for chairs and tables out front??? I think it has a painted sign above the large windows....??? If that is it, like all the others,it is closed for the season whenever we visit....