SESTRI LEVANTE, Italy -
For a mere 24.50 euros (around $38),
I learned that a passenger could
board a ferryboat from Sestri
Levante south of Genoa and enjoy an
excursion down the Ligurian Sea in
an area locally known as the Riviera
di Levante. I decided to try it, and
while there were a variety of boats
and schedules from which to choose,
I picked a round trip to Portovenere,
which sounded just about perfect.
The trip included an hour's stop in
Vernazza along the famous Cinque
Terra, and three hours in
Portovenere before cruising back to
Sestri Levanti. My husband and I
left at 10:00 a.m. on a warm
September day on the Blitz,
identified from several other boats
in port by the bright red head of a
cartoon roadrunner. I was told the
vessel could carry 400 people but,
thankfully, there were less than
half that on the day we went.
Unlike other European boats we
had traveled on, this one had no
class restrictions, so we were free
to rush up to the top deck for the
best views for photographs or
purchase snacks and drinks below.
Shortly after taking off we
passed Riva Trigoso and Punta Baffe,
and then I saw a familiar tower
identifying the beach town of
Moneglia, where my husband's Italian
cousins own a condo downtown.
The hills above were dotted with
houses, all with stunning views of
the sea. These same cousins once
summered in a house they owned on
this hillside, and I remembered
feasting at dinners on a roof deck
decorated with colorful outdoor
furniture, tablecloths, napkins and
endless platters of food and drinks.
I remembered too that it was all
so stunningly beautiful that we once
considered purchasing an adjoining
lot and building our own place - one
of those dreams that never become a
reality but are fun to recall.
It was windy on the top deck. We
sat on hard, white plastic seats and
stared at the rocky coastline dotted
with fishing villages and medieval
hill towns. My husband had stayed
below out of the wind, sitting in
the back on a wooden bench beside a
pile of coiled black ropes. I
decided to continue on top awhile
longer, and though we were really
rocking and rolling, the fresh air
was exhilarating.
An announcer on the boat gave us
periodic updates of what we were
looking at in three languages, but
the wind carried the sound away,
making it hard to understand. The
sea was rough, but better than the
day before when we had tried to
catch a boat north to Portofino and
were told it had been cancelled
because heavy waves made it too
dangerous to land.
I checked my small brochure,
which had a map of the area. It was
10:40 a.m. and we were approaching
the Cinque Terra. The first time we
were here some years ago we drove to
visit the five towns that are
located between Punta Mesco and Capo
di Montenero. It took hours and
hours of hairpin curves and
heart-stopping cliffs. The next time
we visited we were smarter and rode
the train, which raced between the
towns in minutes. We found we could
jump off one train, explore an area,
then board another when we felt like
it.
We had explored Monterosso,
Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and
Riomaggiore and greatly enjoyed
seeing their lively harbors and
ancient churches. Their medieval
streets contained alluring arches,
gates and ancient fortifications,
along with charming shops. Once we
hiked the famous path Via dell'
Amore (Path of Love) between the
towns, with views of vineyards and
olive trees carved into rock hanging
above a crashing surf.
The Blitz arrived in Vernazza at
11:00 a.m. and we had an hour to go
exploring. The harbor was alive with
boats and passengers, sunbathers and
fishermen. I felt like I had stepped
into an opera set.
Beyond the harbor were tall
apartment buildings painted in
pastels. As we started up the main
cobblestone street past shops set up
for tourists, I paused a few minutes
to purchase a long-sleeved blouse in
bright stripes of pink, yellow,
green and purple, which seemed to
match the colors of the town. We
explored some more, took photographs
and then stopped for a cappuccino.
We were back on our boat at 12:05
p.m. and by 12:30 p.m. had arrived
in the harbor of Portovenere, where
we had three hours of leisure time
to explore and eat lunch.
We immediately hiked up to an
imposing castle that we had visited
some years earlier. We also strolled
down a narrow medieval street that
followed the sea at a higher level
and checked out the local stores. We
also read menus of a few
restaurants, but decided to go back
down below and dine where we had a
view of the harbor and the boats
anchored there. There were
million-dollar yachts, more ferries
of all sizes, fishing boats and even
the Italian Coast Guard with
uniformed men lounging in the sun.
We found an outdoor restaurant
and ordered Liguria's famous basil
pesto and mixed salads with
delectable sardines, which were
delicious and accompanied by a
little regional white wine plus tea.
After lunch I purchased a
souvenir tile that outlined the
buildings of the city, and then
boarded the Blitz, which left the
harbor at 3:35 p.m. It was a
straight shot back to Sestri Levante,
and the captain really moved. I
found out we were making between 20
and 21 knots per hour (25 mph) and
seemed to fly back along the same
route. We arrived early at 4:50
p.m., both shaken and stirred after
a spectacular day of fabulous
cruising.
IF YOU GO
People interested in taking this
trip can also catch a boat in
Chiavari or Lavagna just north of
Sestri Levante. Most cruises run
from Easter to the end of September
with this proviso: "In the tiny
villages of the Cinque Terra the
piers are very small and shelterless
from the waves so it (is) up to the
Captain of the ferry to decide in
any moment to cancel one or even
more stops of the excursion or to
change the program of the cruise."
(No refunds.)
For more information visit
www.traghettiportofino.it.
Visit Copley News Service at
www.copleynews.com.
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