hi yorkshire,

Great mild winter, and now it feels like spring. Looks like it too with lots of beautiful flowers. Neighbors bought a herd of goats and tied bells around their necks, so now the hills are full of tinkling as well as braying asses and roosters crowing.

treble,

I forgot to give you this one too. It is the website for the boat that goes from Santa Margherita Ligure to Rapallo. It is a separate company. They haven't put up their schedule for March-Oct, so you will need to look again at the end of the month:

http://www.traghettiportofino.it/ind...mid=18&lang=en

Thanks, all. I'm planning to go Florence to La Spezia, leave luggage in train station, train to RioMaggiore, investigate/walk to Manarole and Corniglia, possible boat to Vernazza and train back to La Spezia, pick up bags and continue by train to Genoa for overnight. If it is raining we would skip all that and just train to Genoa, with the possibility of approaching from the opposite side on a different day. And since DH really wants to see Portofino, take the train to SML and the short boat ride. An dof course Nervi and other cultural city stuff..

If there aren't frequent boats in May,there is a regular bus service from SML to Portofino.

My husband and I stayed at the Hotel "Cinque Terre" at Monterosso. We loved it and would go back in a heartbeat. It was quiet but close to the boardwalk (1/2 a block). Breakfast was great...and significant.

Well Yolaleao may have a bit of a valid point in that any service a business has will have that cost passed along in the form of higher rates. The same is true of every single thing you pay for with a credit card. But the reality is that in most cases it's not just the person using the credit card, or the booking.com site that pays higher rates, it's everyone. So for YOU - the individual - you are going to pay that higher price regardless so you might as well take advantage of the service.

Unless a hotel or B&B or whatever specifically says to me, "we will give you a lower rate if you book with us directly, or pay cash" then I would be stupid not to make use of the ease and safety and convenience of using the booking service or credit card.

Both Yolaleao and annablock have only one posting - this one. Sure sounds like advertising (and being sneaky about it too pretending to be a satisfied customer). I would be very careful about this place.

Yolaleao has another post now with the same link. I've reported both.

On a totally separate note, a great book to read while in the CT is "Beautiful Ruins". It is a novel set in a small town between the CT and Portovenere. I just finished it a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it.

Be careful to Guvano beach.

Guvano beach (between Corniglia and Vernazza) is really beautiful, but unfortunately it is frequented by disreputable people.

I have observed that every year there are drunken brawls and police arrested some drug dealers.

To get there you have to walk an old disused railway tunnel, completely in the dark, a mile long ... and it is not very recommendable.

Guvano beach is beautiful but dangerous, remember ...

When we stayed at Santa Margherita Ligure in May '06, we took the bus to Portofino, and after exploring there, we took a boat north and then back down to SML. If you are interested in short boat rides, these are nice ones:

"we decided to take a ferry boat further up the coast to the next stop, which was a teeny and ancient monastery at Fruttuosa. The ferry made a short 30-minute stop there, so we could see the little place. There were actually monks chanting in the monastery, which was a lucky happenstance. 

The ferry took us back to Portofino for a quick stop, and we continued on the ferry back to Santa Margherita. It was a very nice boat, and lots of fun to sit and watch the coastline glide by. "

Thanks PeaceOut that boat ride sounds just right if the weather cooperates. In mid May do you think we will need light jackets sweatjacket, leatherjacket or maybe no jacket?

I live here from some years.
Jacket or not depends on the weather: if it rains, if there is wind from the north is always better to bring a raincoat.

Other ideas?

I know these:
Alla Porta Rosa in Manarola http://www.mareterra.it/
The heart of Cinque Terre on the blue path: http://www.theheartofcinqueterre.com/
Il Parco in Monterosso http://www.ilparco.com/

And some private owner rent their beautiful home.
But you don't may book.

treble, we were there in early May and needed a light jacket, especially on the boats. We had great weather. It rained one day, but by the time we got from SML to Monterossa, the rain had cleared.

saving for me

I know it sounds weird, but being from Florid, we don't actually own raincoats...and I only have a sweatjacket and a leather jacket. Very rarely use them....mostly on vacay!

Nothing that is water resistant? A windbreaker? A fleece jacket would be better than nothing.

Pick up a plastic poncho from a dollar store. It will fit in your pocket and if you need it you can be sure you will really need it. It doesn't rain, it pours!ou will not be a fashionista but you will be dry!!