An entry in the TFS Travel Journal
We slept well on our new board, though we suffered a little clock-change-lag and woke up too early at 7:30. We ate a lovely simple breakfast out on their veranda, then set off for the fishing village of Camogli. Italy. The drive was a bit Amalfi-like, but not too bad, and Wendy handled it masterfully.
The town is a charming, little, old, authentic, coastal place, in which most buildings are colorfully painted, and are ornamented with the most artful trompe l’oeil. We strolled most of the beach-front section of the town, which took about 30 minutes, then passed a Fred-recommended bakery in which we bought an amazing spherical confection of chocolate outside and amaretto-soaked pastry inside. We asked the baker-man which place to have lunch, Fred’s recommendation or Fodor’s, and he suggested a third place! We set off to find it and wandered into the small studio of an artist who paints beautiful, realistic scenes on thin pieces of wood. We loved a Camogli-scape of a white house on a wooded hillside, with the sea in the foreground, framed by green shutters (tapered to look “open”) on each side of the scene. After realizing how perfectly it would go along the staircase wall upstate, we bought it, hopeful that it will eventually show up in America. We then asked her where to eat, and she recommended Da Paolo - the Fred place - so we went there and loved it.
We started with the (seemingly endless) mixed seafood appetizer, some of which was too salty, some was delicious (the fish pate), and some was fantastic (the small grilled octopus in a vinegarette). Then the pastas - pesto, scampi, and black w/calamari - all of which were heavenly. Entrees were grilled sea-bass and grilled langostines, which were light and tasty. We finished with a shared limoncello.
We then walked out atop the 17th century seawall, which was lined on the ocean side with huge rocks on which many people were relaxing, the weather being cloudy but somewhat warm. The harbor is small, but filled with little, colorfully painted wooden fishing boats. (In several, more that a few people were snoozing off last night’s excesses) We took in the panoramic views up and down the Ligurian coast, with the green hills rising all around.
We then walked up the ruins of a small, old castle built into the rocks along the beachfront. Inside there is now a (very) small aquarium, containing some local species, which we toured. We then got Scott his first gelatto, and Wendy and Milton enjoyed their own, also. Then back in the car for a short jaunt to San Rocco, Italy, an even smaller town built up on a hill and virtually inaccessable by car. We parked and walked in, taking in the expansive views of the bay and the hillsides, and the quaint, quiet setting, with lots of locals out for a Sunday stroll along the many nature paths that fill the peninsula. Then it was off to famous Portofino. (or was it Positano? Rapallo? Ravello? Who can keep these all straight?)
We passed through Santa Margherita Ligure, which seemed a nice, accessibly small, but bustling coastal tourist center. Portofino was indeed lovely — tiny, with many fancy shops, galleries and a piazza surrounding a small harbor (with people fishing all around), all set at the foot of thickly-wooded low, but steep, hills. The town was quiet (this being their off-season), and we much enjoyed the twilight (and another fabulous coconut/chocolate gelatto), seeing the twinkling lights coming on all down the coastline and up the hills.
As it now gets dark by 6-ish, we drove home and Milton typed as Wendy accompanied Scott for a light dinner in the hotel.