Tom`s travels: Santa Margherita Ligure & Portofino (11/08/2018)

On another day trip from Alessandria, Ania and I decided to visit two seaside towns, again in the region of Liguria. We took a regional train and switched in Genova arriving around midmorning in the first of the two towns: Santa Margherita Ligure. Famous for being a seaside locality visited my many rich Milanese families, it is also located on one of the most beautiful and picturesque bays of the region. Our first priority was to buy some food at a supermarket to carry with us and snack on later, so after doing so, we decided to walk through the streets of the old town. We reached Piazza Caprera, the core of the city center, with its Baroque church of Santa Margherita and surrounded by beautiful typically colored houses. We then started heading south in the direction of the next town: Portofino. The way was really pleasant as a whole pedestrian and bicycle lane had been constructed along the 5km separating the two towns. We were able to walk along the cliffs while admiring the beautiful scenery and crystal clear shimmering waters below at a safe distance from the trafficked road. We passed by some scenic points, including the secluded beach of Paraggi. In about an hour we had reached Portofino, a picturesque fishing village clustered around a small harbor and lined with colorfully painted buildings. The town has been known as a famous tourist destination since the late 19th century, and nowadays large yachts (sometimes too large for the small harbor) can be seen anchored close or nearby. We passed by the main church, San Martino, and descended some stairs to reach the Piazza Martiri dell' Olivetta, the town's main square opening out to the harbor. All around were the typical colored houses which shone even brighter thanks to the sunny day. As we walked along the shore, we then walked up a stair at the end of the harbor and reached a high rise square where the church of San Giorgio is located. We sat in the shade of some trees on a low wall with a beautiful view of the harbor while enjoying the lunch we had brought with us. After relaxing there for a while (with probably one of the best lunch views ever) we gave a quick look at the nearby church, originally built in 1154 but later modified, mostly in the Baroque style and with a simple yet bright interior. Despite its not-so-over-the-top architecture, the church had an envious location, with views over the harbor on one side and over the rocky cliffs and agitated blue waters on the other. A strong marine breeze made the time under the sunny sky there much more bearable. A narrow path, which we decided to follow, waded its way from behind the church, over the rocky outcrop which extended a few more hundred meters east, where the Castello Brown was located. Originally a 16th-century castle used by the Republic of Genova it was then transformed into a private residence by Montague Yeats-Brown, a 19th-century English consul to Genova. As we walked further through the Mediterranean shrub we encountered beautiful villas and then later reached the eastern end of the outcrop where a restored lighthouse provided a beautiful backdrop to the endless sea ahead. A small cafè had been opened here and thus was filled with tourists enjoying their drinks and the view. From there we then headed back into town, strolled through its pretty streets, and then decided to walk the way back to Santa Margherita Ligure. Once there, we still had some time to spare, so we decided to look for a spot on the public beach and take a swim. Then we were off to the train station for a ride back to Alessandria.