We wake up to another beautiful morning.  Today Dana and Greg are doing the hike between Riomaggoire and Portovenere.  This is not officially a Cinque Terre hike, so it should be less busy than the official trails. 

Leslie and I are taking the ferry to meet them in Portovenere.  We have seen the ferries sailing along this section of coastline.  Many of them are very very busy.  Today we purchase return tickets for 28 Euros each.  The ferry is not very busy at all.  The day is glorious and the views the same!  We see some buildings that seem to be clinging to the side of the mountain.  We have no idea how you get there or leave there.  I assume it is by foot.  Everything is very very steep.

As we arrive in Portovenere the Chiesa di San Pietro stands guard over the entramce to the harbour. The Doria Castle also dominates the city.  Leslie and I wander around the harbour.  There is market set up in the center of town.  Beautiful fruits and vegetables along with linens and clothing.

We head along the sea wall towards the Chiesa di San Pietro.  It is a large complex with gently sloping ramps to climb to the top.  Off to the right is what is called “The Gulf of Poets” and “Byron’s Grotto”  The plaque is difficult to read as it is very worn, but this is what it says “the immortal poet who as a daring swimmer defied the waves of the sea from Portovenere to Lerici.”  The Gulf of Poets, so called because of its attraction to famous writers and poets.  Lord Byron, Percy & Mary Shelly, Dante and Petrach.

We head down through the upper main street above the harbour.  There are many unique little shops on this street.  One place is making pesto.  The aroma is amazing.  Another we stop in and discover that they have a lot of products make from Portovenere marble.  It is a very beautiful black marble with golden veins and is quarried on an adjacent island called Palmaria.  I purchased a lovely ring.  The shop proprietor is very knowledgeable about his products.  He also recommends a bar for our lunch.  We take a long staircase back to the port side and find a lovely little harbourside bar for our lunch.  We liked the look of it and after we ordered we realized that it was the shopkeepers recommendation.  We have a very nice lunch.  After we stroll around the harbour again before heading to where the trail from Riomaggoire ends.  It is almost five hours since Dana and Greg set off, so we are expecting them at any moment.  There is a beautiful circle with beautifully warm marble benches that we settle into.  The warmth is sooooo nice!!  Not long after we look up the trail to see our people!!  They see us as well.

Today Dana took “Stu, The Travelling Fish” with her on the hike.  They found a couple of beautiful spots to leave him.  The first is the church that is the protector of Riomaggoire, The Madonna di Montenero.  The church sits above Riomaggoire and has stunning views of the Ligurian Sea.  They found a spot with benches overlooking the sea and left him there.  Also farther along the trail they found another spot that Stu would love.  Forever seeing those views.

They are very warm after their hike, so we take them back to the bar for a beverage and a bite to eat.  We go back to the little shop with the marble and Leslie, Dana and I purchase more marble jewlery.  The last ferry is at 5pm, we assume that it will be very busy, so we catch the 4pm.  Definitely not that busy. 

After our rests, we met again at the restaurant that we rescheduled from yesterday.  It is mostly outdoor seating, so we hope that the wind that took out many of the umbrellas, last night are calmer tonight.  We do have a bit of a breeze, but not like last night.  We have a great meal and wander up the street for a nightcap of gelato.

Another wonderful day!!