Today we have a few things that each of us would like to do.  Lindsey is a bookworm and libraries are her happy places.  We want to go to Biblioteca Oblate.  It is housed in the evocative fourteenth-century former convent of the Oblates from which it takes its name.  On they way there we stop to have a look at the Perseus statue.  We learned from our Medici walking tour that the artist of this statue. Benvenuto Cellini  created a secret self portrait on the back of Perseus’s head.  As you can see the back of the head is a face looking downward with a beard.  From the front of the statue this is not visible.  Also on the way is the Church of Dante.  This is in the medieval neighbourhood of Florence.

We arrive at the Biblioteco Oblate.  It is a very peaceful setting.  Inside we come across a photographic exhibition in honour of Giovanni Fanetti.  The room held many different styles of photography.  I did not realise until the end when a woman approached me and told me that this exhibition was in honour of her late husband.  His work was so diverse, I thought it was the work of many artists.  He passed away in 2020 at the age of 81.  His wife created this exhibition and wrote a book to honour her husband.  I felt a kinship with her.  Lindsey purchased the book for me, for us all. 

The library has w little cafeteria and outdoor seating.  We shared a sandwich and a beer before continuing on to find a geocache that might be large enough to hold some “travel bugs”.  As we walk we see more typical Italian things.  A 3 wheeled truck and a very old church with a tower attached.  The tower is supported by “flying buttresses”, these ones covered by copper or bronze, likely to help preserve the stone buttresses. 

There is a geocache is in a park a couple of kilometers from the city center of Florence.  It has a beautiful view of the landmarks of Florence.  The Duomo and the Bell Tower.  It also has an amazing sculpture down a staircase.  The sculpture is made of small stones and is in the shape of a dragon.  At the bottom of the stairs the head of the dragon, at the top in a fountain the tail.  Very beautiful. 

We find a beautiful spot to leave some Stu.  It has a wonderful view of Florence and is at the base of an Umbrella Pine tree.  I think he will love it here.

On our walk back into the town center we pass a Medici hotel.  It has crest that we have learned is the Medici symbol, 6 balls, one at the top a different color.  We also pass a garage.  This is how you make more room in the garage.  You have a lift so that you can park 2 one above the other.choo

We have been told by Brenda that there is a wine bar upstairs in the Central Market.  We head there to check it out.  I have been to the market 3 times and never came up stairs.  It is amazing.  We are sitting have a glass of wine next to a butcher stall.  The meat is unbelievable.  They are passing out samples.  We try one on the way out.

There is a dish famous in Florence called Lampredotto.  It is made from the innards of a cow.  One of the quarters of the stomach.  Our tour guide the other night said we must try it.  Lindsey is keen, me less so.  The Lampredotto place we were introduced to was in Dante’s street.  It has been producing/creating this dish for a very long time.  We head there to give it a try, at least Lindsey will.  She orders, the guy seems surprised.  Asks if she wants it seasoned or not.  She opts for seasoned.  She tells me it is a bit spicy, a little kick.  She enjoys it and almost finishes it.  It is a large sandwich.  I choose a pork with truffle sauce sandwich.  It is OK.. hahaha.

We head back to our apartment, stopping for wine and beer.  A very full day with almost 21,000 steps on the Fitbit.  YEAH!!

We are feeling the need to leave the big city of Florence to escape the crowds of people that come here to see the beautiful works of art this city is famous for.  We decide to go to Lucca for a daytrip.  It is about 90 minutes away by train.  It also turns out that Greg and Leslie will also be going to Lucca tomorrow.  They will spend a couple of nights there.  The coincidence continues as we learn that they will be arriving in Lucca at about the same time as we will.

Lucca is 90 minutes by train northwest of Florence.  It is an old walled city.  The walls are approximately 4 KM long.  Inside the walls there are a few towers left from the middle ages.  One tower has trees planted on the top.  A precursor to the green roofs and skyscraper trees that are becoming more popular today.

Lucca also is the birthplace of Puccini.  They proudly display a statue in the piazza of his home in Lucca.  Also displayed are the many operas that he has composed.

As is after 2pm and we are hungry, we stop at a little restaurant near the Church of San Michele in Forno.  It is a beautiful church with a marble facade in the center of Lucca.  We find a shady spot as the sun is very warm.  They have wifi, the network and password are on the table.  Interestingly the password is “ilpeschino”.  The English translation is “The Fish”  Oh my God!!  We can hardly believe this.  Immediately Stu, The Travelling Fish sits at the table with us.  Lucca is a smaller town, but for us to randomly pick this restaurant was pretty amazing.  They also have an “Aperitf of the house “[peschino)”.  It is obvious that I need to order this.  It arrives and it’s recipe is a secret.  With Stu on the table we receive the apreitif.  The server mentions the beautiful fish we have at our table.  We all had a taste of the peschino.  A toast to our Stu!!

We make our way to the Piazza Anfiteatro.  This was a Roman amphitheatre was mined for building stone.  It’s oval remained as a base for medieval houses.  It is an oval shaped Piazza with 4 gates or doors into it.  It is lined with cafes and restaurants.  A very cool photo from above.  Very cool from the ground as well.

As we get closer to the tower with the trees we come upon Piazza S. Gregorio.  Greg Ross is everywhere!!

We have had a very full day.  We are all a bit tired, maybe some are exhausted.  Lindsey and I have booked a train for 7:30.  It is earlier than that, but since no one has checked out tickets yet, we decide to head to the train station and try to get an earlier train.  On the way we walk through a tunnel in the walls of Lucca.  The path brings us to the outside of the walls where we get to appreciate their shape and massiveness.  As we get to the train station we realise that a train to Florence is just about to leave.  We get to the correct platform and board the train and are off withing 3 minutes.  Pretty well timed.

As we arrive back in Florence we feel we need gelato.  Making our way to the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella we find a perfect little gelato shop, with benches in front.  The shade of the evening prevents the gelato from melting as quickly as the other day.  I have discovered that the Meloni flavour is now my favourite.  I used to love lemoni, but I now prefer the melon.

On our way back to our little apartment we see this little Peugot 2 seater (front to back) parked this way.  This is not something we see at home. The parking in Europe is mind boggling.  Wherever you can fit a vehicle, it seems that you can park it there!!

This day, as every day since arriving in Italy has been amazing!! 🥰😍❤️

Today we have a Medici walking tour at 4:30.  Before that we head out to soak up the Florentine culture.  We stop in a Piazza for a café Americano and to do some people watching.  We stumble upon the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.  This church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  It seems like this whole city is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  So many paintings of the Virgin and baby Jesus were painted by great masters, to hang in the homes/palaces of their patrons.  Again photos of the many many motor bikes that predominate the transportation of this and many European cities.

We take a trip to the Mercato Centrale Firenze.  This is a huge market with many stalls selling everything you can imagine.  Here we purchased spice packages for pasta seasonings, lemon and basil salt and some regional pasta.  All yummy things for future meals.

Our tour begins by the Basillica San Lorenzo.  The tour focuses on the Medici influences in Florence as the ruled the city and all of Tuscany for over 300 years.  The early Grand Dukes were very ambitious in their quest for power and influence.  The final Medici’s were the privileged children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of the first generation.  The last generation were interested in themselves and the good life.  The final remaining siblings were 2 gay sons and a daughter.  One son died from Syphilis, the other from drink.  The daughter, Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici was infertile never had children.  She did however ensure that the Medici art collection would never leave Florence.  This has kept the great masterpieces in Florence for hundreds of years.

We learn about the construction of the Duomo and how there are actually 2 domes inside. One holding the other.  There is a staircase that is over 400 steps to the top.  I can see people up there, but I am fine with not climbing this dome.  It sounds like it is very claustrophobic as the steps are between the inner and outer domes.

We also see a medieval neighborhood.  The neighborhood of Dante. 

The tour ends and we are hungry.  Since there is a rule written by Greg Ross we cannot go to the wonderful restaurant that is our next door neighbor.  The aromas we smell are sooooo enticing.  But we find a new place on the other side of our apartment.  It is also wonderful.  We each have different tortellini, some nice wine and finish with Limoncello.

This is our door and window on this amazing little street.

Today we have a tour of the Academia Gallery, the museum that The David lives.  It has caused a lot of controversy in Florida recently, as a teacher was fired because she taught a class about the statue.  This is considered pornography by some in the state.  So, needless to say that since this controversy I NEEDED to see this work of art!

On our way to the Gallery we pass this little wine bar.  There are 2 seats in the alleyway and a main entrance at the front in the main street.  Very cool.  We should see if we can find it again and have a seat at the stools and order from the little window.

Inside the Academia there is a music section.  Here we see this violin created by Stratovarius for the Medici family.  It bears their family crest on the front of it.  A very rate piece.

Our guide points out a self portrait of Michelangelo on display here.  This gallery does not have as many masterpieces as the Uffizi Gallery.  The David is the main attraction here.  There are also practice pieces that are unfinished.  This one is of Atlas, the world on his shoulders was never complelted.

We end the tour portion of our visit with The David!  It is a stunning work.  Apparently 30 years ago someone came into the gallery with some sort of metal tool.  They wanted a piece of The David.  They did some hacking of the toes on his left foot.  As you can see the toes are damaged.  There is a replica of the David in front of the City Hall of Florence.  His toes are perfect.  I have photos of both feet.

The eyes of the David are actually hearts.  It is difficult to see from down below, but there are photos in the gift shop that show the pupils as hearts.  The David is the most popular attraction in this museum.  We bought a tour that bypassed the lineups.  It is extremely busy outside as we leave.  Very happy we purchased the tour and bypassed the lines!

It is almost sunset, so we head to the Ponte Vecchio.  This translates to The Old Bridge.  It was somehow spared by the Nazi army as they left Florence.  They destroyed every other bridge in Florence with the exception of the Ponte Vecchio.  During the day the jewelry shops line the bridge.  Tonight they are all closed with ornate wooden panels that cover the glass and jewerly.

Many people are gathered here to see the sunset.  We had planned to move to the bridge immediately to the west of the Ponte Vecchio in order to get a photo with the sun on the bridge.  About halfway there, I turned to see the gorgeous sun shinning on the bridge.  I took the shot.  It is stunning.  I am certain Stu was whispering in my ear to “take it now, take it now”!!  By the time we reached the next bridge the sun was behind some clouds, the shot was gone.  So glad I was able to get this “Stu Shot”.

We found a lovely spot to leave some of Stu.  Along the Arno River with a view to the Ponte Vecchio.  Another beautiful spot to rest.

We wandered through the streets again.  We came upon this beautiful church.  The stained glass windows, the fresco paintings.  Everything in Florence is a work of art!

We head back to our little apartment.  There is this restaurant right next door.  The aromas wafting into our window is simply incredible.  We had dinner there the other night, it was amazing.  If you come to Florence definitely check this place out!!

Back in our apartment we lock the ancient door.  No one will be getting through this locking system!

Another day to remember forever!!

Uffizi Gallery today.  The Uffizi Gallery was once the offices of the Medici family.  They were the ruling family for over 300 years.  They created government offices here to consolidate their power.  In 1584 it was turned into an art gallery.  It is a very large U Shaped building on the edge of the Piazza dell Signora.  The short side of the building is along the Arno River. It houses many masterpieces by Botticelli, Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci.  Back in the 1500’s artists did not choose their subjects.  Their patron commissioned them to paint what they wanted.  There are many many reglious subjects.  These paintings were kept in private homes and the families prayed to these images.  Lots and lots of versions of the Virgin Mary and Jesus.  The ceilings are also works of art in their own right.  Every inch is covered in images.  Also portraits line the ceiling.  These portaits are of turbaned men.  I found it interesting, but could not find out the significance of the turbans.  Not all of the ceiling portraits had the turbans.

We were able to see Botticelli’s Venus and Primavera.  Very large paintings showing the birth of Venus and what is believed to be a painting commissioned for a wedding, the Primavera.3

The hallways are very large and accommodate large crowds. 

Here are a couple of very famous works.  One is the “Annunciation”  There are many versions of this scene by a number of artists.  This one by Leonardo da Vinci, is one of the most famous.  The Medusa by Caravaggio is also very famous.  We see it on t-shirts all over Florence!  This last photo is of a statue that I thought looked like he was taking a selfie!

After the Uffizi Gallery we are on the move again.  We get to move from the Hotel Allesandra to our apartment that we will have for a week.  It is very old and again is many many steps up.  The stairwell does have a “stairlift”, but sadly we do not have the key.  We must hike up the 46 steps to our cute little apartment.

There is a sculpture about 100 meters from our apartment.  It is the Tree of Life.  We noticed it yesterday and thought it was a very interesting piece.  Today there are flowers placed in an around this sculpture.  We have discovered that today, May 27, 1993 a car bomb was set off in this street by the Sicilian Mafia, killing 5 people and destroying a number of nearby buildings.  In January 1993, the mafia began a campaign of bombing Italian cultural heritage sites. You can see in this first photo how they have repaired the building after the bombing,

We have a small restaurant downstairs from us.  The aromas wafting up are incredibile.  We head down there for our dinner.  It did not disappoint!!  I had a spaghetti carbonara and Lindsey had grilled beef with grilled zucchini and eggplant.  Both very delish!!.  Stu came along for dinner as well. 

We return up our many steps to enjoy the Florentine evening from our windows.  The streets that were bustling this afternoon are now quiet. We leave a little of Stu on the deck below us. 

Another stunning day!!

Well, it turns out that I have a gap in our accommodation.  We check out of this place the Artimide Guesthouse today, but our next place is not booked until the 27^th, Saturday.  That is inconvenient!!  I jump onto Hotels.com to try to find something.  Everything seems to be $800 and up!!  Yikes, this could be an expensive gap!  I did reach out to this place and the next place to see if they had a corresponding gap in their bookings.  That would work out nicely.  Sadly, not to be.

I finally found a hotel quite near to our Saturday booking.  More than I wanted to pay, but not $800.  We make our way across the town to Hotel Allesandra.  It has it’s reception on the 2^nd floor, the sign says.  Remembering that in Ital, in Europe the ground floor is floor 0, zero!  I go up a few stairs and see that after a flight and a half of steps, there is a small elevator.  I get myself up to the 2^nd (really 3^rd) floor receoption.  We are very early to check in, we know, but we would like to drop off our bags and go exploring this new section of Florence.  He advises that we can definitely bring the bags up in the little elevator.  I return to where Lindsey is watching the bags.  She lugs my big bag up to the elevator, I grab some of the smaller ones.  The elevator can hold our 2 larger bags and me, ONLY.  Lindsey hikes up the stairs and reaches the reception at about the same time as I do in the elevator.  We check in and leave the bags and off we go. 

We reach the Piazzo della Signoria which is very close to our little hotel and our apartment that we get tomorrow.  There are lots of people and statues everywhere.  We find a little bar at the edge of the Piazzo.  We enjoy a spritzer drink along with some complementary snacks.  It is a very happening venue with amazing people watching available. 

We pay dearly for the complimentary snacks.  This is a coveted spot, so the charges are not cheap!!

The Piazzo is very crowded, so we decide to cross the Ponte Vecchio to the other side of the Arno River.  There are gardens over on that side of the river.  Here is the Ponte Vecchio.  The shops on the bridge are all jewelry stores.  We hear later that this is because one of the early Grand Duke, Medici didn’t like to see or smell the butcher shops that originally set up shop on the bridge where they could just dump the scraps from their trade into the river to flow down river to be someone else’s problem.  So the Grand Duke changed the law so that only jewelry shops could operate on the bridge. Much better aromas going forward.

These photos are basically identical.  On one I used my phones “object eraser” to eliminate the cars, people and motor bikes.  This tool is incredible.

The Boboli Gardens.  Google Maps give us directions.  This is not a Cinque Terre hike, but it is mostly up hill.  To enter the gardens, is a 10 Euro admission, a very very large property.  It has some great view of the City of Florence.

We have logged some serious steps today.  We at one point decided to take a bus back to our hotel, but the bus stop was crowded with school children, so we decide to just keep walking.  We end up with over 21,000 steps or almost 10K. 

We are heading to the hotel and see some very large doors.  This one has the door knob so high, it is even difficult for Lindsey to reach! 

This is our hotel and room.  We even get a complimentary bottle of wine!  The staff are amazing.  Good choice this morning.  Even though the reception is on the 2^nd floor, our room is on the 3^rd  (4^th)  Lots more steps.  Here are also some photo from the Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore.  THE CATHEDRAL of Florence.  The Bell Tower is also amazing. 

We have our dinner at a small restaurant with a patio.  I have ravioli and Lindsey enjoys some risotto.  Love the sign with Scrumbled Eggs!

On our way home we hear some smooth jazz playing.  There is a band playing in a square, that during the day holds many market stalls.  The acoustics are amazing.  We contribute to the kitty.  Lovely music in this lovely city.

The end to another amazing day.

Dana’s 10 days have flown by.  We packed a lot into those days.  It is time r her to head back home to her men.  Callum is participating in the Swiftsure Sailing Race this weekend.  Dana needs to be home for Aidan so that he can go. 

We hop on the tram to the airport together.  Her flight is at 10:45ish so we arrive at the airport just after 9.  Plenty of time for a domestic European flight to Frankfurt where she will connect onto Vancouver.  She should arrive about 2:30 in the afternoon.

I head back to our room for a bit of a rest.  Along the way passing rows and rows of motor bikes and scooters.  Not a common sight at home.  .

I get a message from Dana that they cannot take off due to the weather.  It was very warm this morning, but now the clouds and wind have arrived.  She has an hour and a half layover in Frankfurt.  That does not look good at the moment.  She messages me again and they are now deplaning.  Another message, they are taking everyone to a hotel.  Not a local hotel, but one that is almost an hour away!!  Travel day hell again!!  They have booked her on a very early flight to Amsterdam in the morning.  She then has a 6 hour layover before her flight to Vancouver.  Sigh…

The room is not large, but it is very tall.  The ceiling is an interesting shape and the large window has a great view of the sky and restaurant downstairs.  After a rest I head out for some lunch. 

It is raining again.  Downstairs there is a restaurant that I can see from my window.  I decide to check it out.  It is so much larger than I had expected.  Everything here is so so old!!  I have a local appetizer of melon with prosciutto, a glass of chianti and some sparkling water.  It fills the bill.

It is time to head back to the airport.  Lindsey should be arriving almost on schedule.  She messaged me from Frankfurt.  There will be a little delay, but not much.

It is so good to see her.

We decide to have dinner at the downstairs restaurant.  Twice in one day definitely breaks the Greg Ross rule!!  Hahaha.  It is even larger than I saw this afternoon.  A whole other section at the rear where we are sitting tonight.  Some nice local wine and some beautiful pasta.  Fills the bill again.

A good day for me, a good day for Lindsey.  Not such a good day for Dana.

Our time in Riomaggoire has come to an end.  We are going to Firenze today.  Dana is flying home tomorrow.  I will have a few hours in Florence on my own and then Lindsey arrives. 

We decide to leave a bit more of “Stu, The Travelling Fish” here in Riomaggoire.   From our door there is a small piazza.  I thought this would be a good spot, but this morning there is a person sitting there.  Also at this spot is a steep path/staircase that leads down to a spot where some people jump into the sea.  We have not gone down this way before, but this morning it seems perfect.  There are great views of the harbour here.  Also some very comfy seagulls that paid no attention to us at all.  We get to the perfect spot.  Some rugged rocks that signal the end of this outlook.  This is where we will leave some Stu.  It is perfect. 

As we have been climbing what feels like endless  and very high stairs in this village, we are in much better physical condition than when we arrived.  To bring us to this apartment, our host Sarah packed my big bag for me.  Today, I will wear it on my back and take up the hill myself.  😊

We have booked 3 trains.  Riomaggoire to La Spezia, La Spezia to Pisa and Pisa to Florence.  We are scheduled to leave on the 12:57 train from Riomaggoire.  Greg and Leslie have left for a couple nights in Monterrossa.  We are keen to get going, so we decided to go to the train station and see if we can get an earlier train.  Dana is reading the fine print on the tickets.  It says “no changes” blah, blah, blah.  We decide to ask forgiveness and not permission as we board the next train to La Spezia.  Each train seems to mesh perfectly and we arrive in Florence an hour earlier than anticipated.  Not once did anyone check to see if we even had tickets, let alone tickets for the specific train we are on.  We even spoke with a conductor as he was asking who was travelling on to Florence from Pisa.  He told us it was a very quick connection, that we only had 5 minutes to be on the right platform.  But he did not ask to see our tickets!!

Our accommodation is a self serve checkin.  We sent photos of our passports last night and we received the instructions for the combo locks on the main doors and our specific room.  It says that it on the second floor.  As we have noticed in Europe before, they do not count the ground floor.  So, we are really on the 3^rd floor.  Of course, no elevator.  😊  Even though I am stronger than 10 days ago, Dana and I need to both carry up my big bag!!  We have a fancy bathroom here.  It is an old building, but the room has been renovated quite recently.

We need food, so off we go to do a bit of exploring and eating and drinking.  We find a little bar on a corner nearby.  Great for people watching.  We have a cocktail, get some free snacks and order mixed bruchetta.  This should tide us over until dinner.

We are very close to the Duomo. Complex.  We take a few photos, but do not have the time to explore further.  Lindsey and I may find the time.  We do have a few attractions booked already and may book more once she arrives.

It is back to our room for a snooze (for me).  We head out again for dinner.  Find one of many many bistros in this area.  We have some wine, some very tasty pasta  I have “Pici” pasta with a creamy peppery sauce.  Dana has “Parpardella” with braised beef.  She finishes hers, then has most of what I could not finish.  Good job. 

Back to our place.  We need sleep and a fairly early morning for Dana to get to the airport.  The first leg of the adventure is complete.  Leg 2 starts tomorrow. It has been a wonderful 10 days.  We have already forgotten (almost) our journey here. 😍❤️

We have decided that today will be a chill beach day in Monterosso.  Monterossois the only Terre with a sandy beach, so we decided that this is the place to go.  We hop on the train and are there is just a short time, along with a lot of other tourists.

We find our spot on the “free” section of the beach.  It is very warm and the water is very inviting.  I have very tender feet from the chemo treatments.  I purchased some water socks, but I forgot to stick them in my backpack.  I also brought a small towel, which is also back in our little apartment.  🤪 Hmmmmm…

I decide to hop back on the train and retrieve these items.  Didn’t plan that very well.  I must have just missed a train, as I wait at least 30 minutes for the next.one.  I am wearing a shirt with a Canadian flag on it.  A young couple who are waiting for the train in the shade, as I am, ask if I am from Canada.  Yes, Vancouver I say, they say “us too”.  Then I say “Pitt Meadows” and they say “Coquitlam”  Haha  Vancouver is good enough most times, but we all felt the need to specify a bit more. 😁

As I arrive back in Riomaggoire, I check the train schedule.  I have 20 ,minutes before the next train back to Monterosso is leaving.  I should be able to make it if I hustle.  The beginning of the path back to our apartment is flat, but soon there are many steps up and many steps down.  This town is an amazing workout!!  I arrive in the apartment grab what I had forgotten and am back on the starimaster to the train station.  I make it in plenty of time.  As I am on the platform of “binario” I hear the announcement and it sounds like the next train does not stop at all of the Terre’s.  If my Italiano is correct, the next stop is Monterosso.  That is great.  I should be back at the beach in no time.  Turns out that I understood the announcement correctly.  Since it is directly to Monterosso, not many people board as they may want to stop at other villages along the way. 

I arrive back at the beach and take of few shots of “Stu, the Travelling Fish” at the beach.  He did love the beach and the ocean.  This ocean would have been high on his list.  The water is so clear.  It is cool at first and as anywhere, your body becomes accustomed to it and it is very lovely.  We watch little fish swimming around.  Not the types of fish we see at home.  More tropical than what we typically see.

Leslie and I decided to go into the little village.  For dinner tonight we decided to use the rest of the pesto we made the other day, along with the parma ham.  We went to a little grocery store and picked up some of the local pasta flavoured with lemon, some additional pesto, sundried tomatoes, a burrata cheese and additional parma ham. 

With our shopping done, we decide it is time for a beer.  We stopped at a little bar and ordered a couple of .4 litre beers.  Very refreshing on such a beautiful warm day.  Soon we get a message from Greg and Dana, wondering if we have gotten lost!!  Hahah.

Since we have a pretty well equipped kitchen we will prepare our final meal in Riomaggoire together.  When Greg and Leslie arrive, they have some beautiful ripe tomatoes and bread.

We do dinner in stages.  The tomatoes, cheese and parma ham as “antipasti”, the pasta as a “secondi”. Of course there is wine!!

We have a wonderful dinner with great company. We eventually say “Buona Notte” as Greg and Leslie make their way through the maze of stairs and alleyways back to where they are staying.

A very “Buona Giornata”!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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!!