That's helpful--thanks! The B&B I am looking at is not all the way in La Serra, so I will write them.

Yorkshire,

Where I live in Liguria the public staircases that are the main walkways into the hills are well lit at night, although I always have a small torch with me in case a bulb burns out. Bear in mind that Serra means "mountain" so you will be walking steeply uphill. (When I was in that area, Serra appealed to me more than Lerici, but I like walking uphill!)

It's seldom comfortable, however, to walk along public roadways after dark because there are seldom sidewalks. (I don't recall sidewalks on the narrow road that connects Tellaro to Lerici.) Why don't you ask the B&B if there are pedestrian paths, how late the buses run and in general what the night-time transport options are, plus ask the cost of a taxi from Lerici and Tellaro to Serra?

Here are places to stay around Lerici and Tellaro that serve dinner on the premises, which might solve your problem completely. You can sample recommended restaurants in Tellaro and elsewhere for lunch:

http://www.villamariagrazia.it/eng_alberghi.asp?id=428

http://www.albergoemilianolerici.it/...ghi.asp?id=446

http://www.rosadeiventitellaro.com/index.asp?lang=en

And there is also the very pricey Locanda Miranda in Tellaro. But there are several restaurants in Tellaro, so if you want to stay right in the town, which is so lovely, you won't starve or have to pay a fortune all the time for dinner.

I don't know if the ferries from Tellaro to Bocca di Magra will be running during the time you are there, but that would appeal to me as a boat excursion, perhaps more than Portovenere.

Have a great time! The first time I came to Liguria, I had a long list of sightseeing plans. But I had booked myself into a small pretty village on the coast with a gorgeous view and fine swimming and walking, and never left the village for my entire stay. I think the best time you can have in Liguria is doing what you want whimsically.

Oh thanks again for this wonderful information!
I am a little planning obsessed, so of course I have a long list of possibilities, but I have a feeling I might be doing a lot of what you just described!

bookmarking - thanks for all the great information!

I just realized one of my links is a small hotel without a restaurant.

here is a very modest place in Tellaro with a restaurant, and some apartments with small kitchens. I think it is always nice to have something of a kitchen while traveling, because market-purchased food in Italy is so tasty, it is often nice to picnic and have a place to store food.

http://www.miramaretellaro.com/home_eng.html