on May 27th, my best friend married her now husband at Castello Brown in Portofino, Italy. which is essentially why and how our entire italy trip came about. from amalfi, we flew Volotea from Naples to Genoa and took the bus from the airport to the train station. the train station from Genoa into Santa Margherita was quick and let us off just minutes from our apartment in the center of town. lots of traveling... i can do a post on getting around in another country in a later blog if you'd like (let me know below!).
Santa Margherita
the train lets you out at one end of the harbor in town and you can walk form there to there other end of town, it's a nice walk along the water.
we stayed in an apartment near the center of town which you can find online or on the airbnb app.
if you prefer a hotel, i would recommend the Hotel Continental, where some of our friends stayed.
where to eat? our favorite resturaunt here is the skipper. located on the harbor, quite literally on the water is where you will sit with fish swimming below your feet as you sip white wine. however, the pistachio tiramisu is what really did me in, it was so good. really i cannot even describe it, best dessert ever.
be sure to walk around after dinner, walk through the alleyways toward the church (duomo) in the central part of town because there are always events happening. we stumbled upon an orchestra playing opera music our first night, and continued to walk down after a few songs to find a dj in a square with people dancing, singing, laughing... just living their best lives. we stayed and danced, and walked some more until the noise lessened, the people dispersed.
the next morning, we woke up early to take some pictures. if you suffer from jet lag, you'll likely be up early naturally, which is actually quite nice because you get to experience the town without the tourists. i'd recommend heading to the park and walking up to the Villa Durazzo, a 17th century palazzo with nice views of the water.
on our first full day we took the ferry to Portofino. the ferry in town costs 11 euro per person for a roundtrip ticket and the trip is only about 15 minutes.
however, santa margherita has a lot to offer. there is a church in the centralè, lots of boutique shops, and cafès. on weekends there are farmers markets on the street, local artisans selling their creations, and lots of people wandering in and out. we got bread from Antonio's and espresso from Rèvè, and stopped by the local bodega for some waters and snacks to keep in our room.
there isn't much nightlife in the coastal cities of Italy from what I understand, but there are some nice places to get a drink after dinner. we went to Sabot and next door to Miami Cafe while in Santa Margherita.
Portofino
Portofino is small. where the boat will let you off is the La Piazetta di Portofino where resturaunts and small souvenir shops surround the port. if you are a yaht enthusiast, there are some gorgeous boats here, most of them rented by big finance tourists or celebrities. Dolce + Gabbana have a villa there that can be seen from the top of Castello Brown.
where to eat: we ate at Taverna del Marinaio, to the right of the port and ordered the pesto pasta which was mouth watering good.
the stores here are very high end, so we window shopped and then walked the 20 minutes up cobble stone stairs to the castle, Castello Brown where my best friend was getting married that Monday. there is a fee to go inside, we did not go since we knew we would be there Monday.
the Church of San Giorgio is here as well and offers a picturesque view of the harbor. if you keep going you'll make it to the lighthouse, we did not do this but if you are there for a full day, it may be worth checking out!
Cinque Terre (Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso)
to get to Corniglia you must take the train north from the station. there are kiosks and usually a woman at the window to help with purchasing if you need. once you get off, there are many stairs up to the main road (more stairs than there are residents - FACT) and some cafes if you would like to grab coffee or breakfast. this is my favorite town, mostly because of the narrow streets and quietness. there aren't a lot of tourists here and locals say that there never are, even during peak season it's one of the more laid back towns in Cinque Terre.
what to do? visit the churches! the Church of St Peter was built in 1334 over a pre-existing building and has elements of the Baroque style, and also Gothic and Ligurian design. and take lots of pictures! there are terraces overlooking the ocean surrounded by vineyards and beautiful flowers, this town is a good place to take in the essence of Italy without all the hustle and bustle of people shopping. there are some shops, but the fresh produce is what we sought out. the fruit here is unparalleled.
walk through town until you find the entrance for the path from Corniglia to Vernazza. there will be a booth to pay, and yes i recommend paying to walk along the path. it's a challenging walk with lots of scenery of the coastline but also some hidden gems. we stumbled across a forest where people left their mark by building cairns. there are also small bridges passing over rivers of water and overlooks. this path will bring you to Vernazza where like the other towns there is a harbor, lots of shops and restaurants.
Vernazza is where we had the BEST pesto i have ever had. I wish i could remember the name of the place...
i can tell you where it is though! it's to your right if facing the water with yellow umbrellas outside, the last resturaunt on the right side.
across the way, it looks like a castle but is in fact a resturaunt which was also very good from what our friends told us.
this is probably the most busy and touristy of the places we walked to. but to be honest, it doesn't take away from the beauty of pastel colored buildings. we didn't climb the Doria Castle but we heard it offers insane views. the castle is open from 9-7pm and costs 2 euros.
if you don't want to visit the castle, continue on the path to Monterosso and there is a section at the beginning of the walk where you can look down and see the whole town (Vernazza), it's beautiful.
if you prefer to take a boat to Monterosso there is a water taxi available! i'd still recommend the path though...
Monterosso
we did not spend a lot of time here, it was late and we had an event to go to back in Santa Margherita. however we did opt for some pistachio gelato and walked the beach before taking the train back. there is a kayaking tour, but i believe its 93 euros per person...
noteworthy: the trains have assigned seating, there is fits class and coach so you'll want to check your ticket. this train station is very busy, so make sure you ask where to go if you are unsure.
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