Italy 2023, Day 14: Riomaggiore to Portovenere to Montorosso al Mare and Back

Today would start with a little bit of horror and then luck. We woke up and got breakfast at the Hotel Mondial and then returned to the room to finish packing before our departure. As I was organizing my things, I couldn't locate my Nikon digital camera and asked Kathi if she had seen it. When she said no, a horrific realization swept through my brain. I had put it under the streetside table at the restaurant Tender the night before and has forgotten it there! I rushed downstairs to the front desk and as I nervously started to tell my tale of woe, and ask if the clerk could call the restaurant, he interrupted and said that yes they had found my camera and were holding it for me. Relief!

Problem was, we were leaving Moneglia and the restaurant wouldn't open for a while, but the hotel clerk said there would be people there early cleaning and that I could probably go there at 10 am. So at around 9:30, I walked with Kathi to the train station, left my backpack with her in the waiting room, and flew down into town to the restaurant.

There were a few guys loafing about and as soon as I said camera, they motioned inside. There, it was, just sitting out on a table! Relief again! As I left, I checked the memory to see if there were any surprise pictures captured to document how stupid I had been. You know the random ass shot or something similar? Nothing but respect and care from the restaurant Tender!

Rejoining Kathi, we boarded the next train to Riomaggiore. Upon arrival. we walked from the train station through the tunnel connecting to the Via Columbe in the main part of the town.

We struggled a bit to find the alley that would lead up, always up (!), to the entrance to our hotel room in the Casa d'Amore. We called our contact to get let in...

... and and after waiting for some time gained entry and climbed up to our little room. We dumped our bags and then headed back out to make our way to the ferry terminal for an excursion to Porto Venere. Along the way, we stopped to admire and capture the beauty that is Riomaggiore and the Cinque Terre region. I love the century plants!

The inviting harbor...

We gout our tickets, boarded the ferry at the
Imbarco Traghetti di Riomaggiore ...

...and I snapped a few pictures as we were pulling away from Riomaggiore.

The pictures do not do justice to the beautiful clear blue waters. We cruised along a rugged and mostly uninhabited coast.

One of the rocky beaches created by avalanche, just before the Punta Castagna.

If you squint, perhaps you can see the cross on the top of Scoglio Ferale (feral rock) in the Ligurian Sea.

Below, how do the townsfolk (upper left) get down to the sea? Looks like perhaps a cabana awaits?

Iron oxide deposits in the rock faces of the "Rocce Rosse". I love seeing the solitary trees at the top of the ridge...

Beautiful rocky cliffs...

At last, we rounded the point, the Promontorio dell'Arpaia, and into the passage between Portovenere (port venus) and the island of Palmaria - the gateway to the Bay of Poets. The Chiesa di San Pietro standing guard at the entrance.

The church was built in the 13th century and replaced a Roman temple.

Portovenere was first established by the Romans in the middle of the first century BC, using it as a fishing village, and naming it Portus Veneris as an homage to the god of love: Venus.

As we neared the town, we were welcomed by a familiar cluster of multi-coloured houses along the seafront known as Calata Doria or the Palazzata.

We disembarked the ferry...

... and walked through the town to make our way to the Church of Saint Peter. On the way, at the
Porta del Borgo, we came across this ancient stone stamped with the symbol of Saint George. Wonder what it was used for? 

Kathi and I window shopped as we leisurely strolled along the Via Capellini and through it's narrow passageways known as carruggi. The town was charming with its smaller crowds and cute little shops. We bought a decorative Cinque Terra tile and Kathi purchases some gifts for friends who were watching our dog and helping out with our girls.

I was also on the hunt for a Cinque Terre patch I had seen when we visited in 2018 but didn't buy thinking they would be everywhere.  I wanted it to add to my backpack since I had hiked all the trails connecting the 5 towns.  In one of the small shop stalls, I found it!  Where I would least expect it, Portovenere Magic!  

I also liked the logo of this shop; it seemed to capture the essence of Portovenere.

We climbed through the town and up to the Church of Saint Peter the Apostle.

Along the way there were portals framing the views along the coast back towards the Rocce Rosse and Riomaggiore beyond.

Rotating slightly, you could see the Castello Doria, built in the 12th century, and named after the famous Doria family who once controlled Genoa during its time as a major maritime power.

Adventurous swimmers in the waters below...

Inside the church, built in 1277, contains three naves, each simple and beautiful.

The main alter... 

The last of the three dark chapels...

Back outside from the terrace, you could see the steps leading to a second structure, perhaps the battery used during the Napoleonic era used to defend the Gulf of La Spezia.

Looking from the ramparts past the island of Palmaria towards San Torenzo which formed the other arm encompassing the Bay of Poets.

After our visit to the church, we walked back into town for lunch. Along the way, we passed this tile of the town's coat of arms.

It was established in 1933. The crown, the three towers, and the color of the three flags (which include the cross of Saint George) speak to the town's alliance with the ancient Republic of Genoa. One of the branches looks like an olive branch which symbolizes a willingness for peace. The other branch looks like an oak with acorns, which In heraldry, is a symbol of strength and endurance (since its leaves are less easily shed in the fall than the leaves of other trees)

This blanket for sale reminded me of our sweet Hailey; our little mermaid.

The cross of Saint George was everywhere; here made form rad-painted stones among a sea of white gravel in the Piazza Giacomo Bastreri

Also in the Piazza was the town's World War I memorial.

Hungry and in a hurry, we grabbed a table at the

La Bottega del Fritto Burger House...

... but since the service was slow, we changed our burger and hot dog order to go so that we could catch the next ferry.  We grabbed our food in the nick of time, and hopped on the ferry selecting seats on the starboard side so we could again marvel at the coast. We felt a little embarrased eating our delicious hot food in front of others, but whuchyagonnado? Goodbye Portovenere, ti vogliamo bene, and hope to come back again some time (with our own boat for exploring the coast!).

We got off the ferry...

... and made our way back to the train station.

We had planned to go back to Monterosso al Mare to find that Cinque Terre patch I had seen there in 2018.  Even though I had found the patch we decided to revisit the town for apertivo.  Almost immediately, upon emerging from the train station, I found the patch in one of the souvenir stores, so I bought another one for posterity. Time to celebrate!  We found a nice spot for apertivo which had a great view.

We both opted for a lemoncello spritz and were treated to a selection of chips and nuts.

After a leisurely cocktail, we hopped back on the train back to Riomaggiore. We decided to head to the harbor for gelato and struggled with the GPS to find the Gelateria Sottozero, but we finally made it and then, dinner in hand, we climbed up to the terrace on the SE side of the harbor to watch the sunset.

Glorious!

On the way back, my keen eyes spied an unassuming and degraded, but recognizable, Blub street art poster. Score!

We also enjoyed the ceramic tiles that adorned alleys, tunnels, and side streets.

I need to learn how to make these!!!!!

We climbed our way back the the Casa d-Amore and got our stuff together for the next day's trip back to Milan. I was sorry to be leaving the lovely Cinque Terre!

2018 Italy Vacation, Day 10: Lucca

We packed up and had one last breakfast and cappuccino at Agriturismo Paradiso.  They do put out quite a spread!

The courtyard where we ate breakfast each morning could not have been lovelier.

After visiting Lucca we would be leaving Tuscany so as we headed north, we drove casually to fully absorb the sights of the rolling Tuscan farm fields and countryside for one last time (on this trip!)...

It took about two hours to get to Lucca.  We parked the car in a free lot, Piazzale Don Franco Baroni, a couple blocks outside the city. We crossed the street and down the Via Umberto Tinivella, and crossed the busy Via Statale 12, and walked up the Sortita S. Fredoano walkway and were confronted by Lucca's massive wall!

Lucca is Italy's most impressive fortress city, encircled by a perfectly intact wall. But paradoxically, Lucca hasn't been involved in a war since 1430 and has never been bombed. 

Here's Kathi in front of the entrance through the ramparts - at the Casemetta San Frediano

Upon entering the city we immediately encountered the Catholic Church - Chiesa di San Frediano.  The "basilica" is one of the oldest places of worship in Lucca.  Saint Fridianus, bishop of the city from 560 - 588 founded the church.  

Here's the face of the church that pointing towards town.   I don't remember seeing a mosaic like this anywhere else and, in fact, the church is famous for this artwork dating to the end of the 13th century - an extremely rare Byzantine-style ornamentation in the Romanesque style. 

The mosaic depicts Christ the Redeemer ascending into heaven in a mandorla held by two angels.  The figure of the Virgin Mary is missing - remarkably taken out when the modern window was  installed.  

We did not go in, but inside is the "Incorruptible" Saint Zita (meaning her body has miraculously not degraded in the 700+ years following her death in 1272).  Zita, entombed in the alter, is the patron Saint of Lucca, of servants, and of lost keys.


It was approaching 2:00 pm, the deadline for securing lunch before restaurants shut down to prepare for the dinner crowd so Kathi and I went in search of the recommended Osteria Via San Giorgio.  

Along the way, we ran into our stealthy friend Blub's street art similar to that which peppered Florence.   

After some difficulty, we finally found the Osteria.  It was close to 2 PM, and the restaurant was a ghost town, but we were seated and ordered.  The fresh bread brought to the table in a paper bag was great!  Instead of decorating the tables with flowers, these had a basil plant centerpiece - how wonderfully Italian!

I got the caprese with tomato, mozzarella, and basil and Kathi got the pappardelle with tomato sauce and I capped off the lunch with an espresso. 

 Since we were the only ones there, I’m convinced the proprietor keep the place open just for us. 
 The hunt for Osteria Via San Giorgio was well worth the effort! 
 
After a nice meal, we were recharged and ready for some more sightseeing.  One of the big items on my punch list was to ride around the ramparts, so Kathi and I went in search of a bike rental establishment near one of the ramps that would lead up to the top of the wall.

We had difficulty finding our way around with the off-line mapping app but finally found Noleggio Bici Poli.  We rented two bikes, walked them up the ramp to the top of the ramparts and enjoyed our leisurely peddle around the perimeter of Lucca.

Locals are very protective of their wall and treat it like a community roof garden.  And for good reason - what a spectacular venue!  Wide bike paths, pedestrian walks, seating, pocket parks, restaurants, artwork, monuments - all atop the ramparts.  What an awesome public space!  And entrances to this sky park encircle the city, seemingly a 10 minute bike ride from anywhere in the city.  I could SO live here!

From our perch atop the wall, we spied the Palazzo Pfanner and the tower of the Real Collegio.

The Gallerie Del Baluardo Santa Croce and looking back along the Via Pelleria.

An impressive brick structure on the green with just one of the many arms of the noble palace, Palazzo Mansi, in the background.

 From above, I spotted a sign with info about the Via Francigena and had to take a detour to take a step on this fabled road.
The Via Francigena is the route used by Archbishop Sigeric (990 to 994) from Canterbury to Rome.  It became a busy road used by pilgrims as well as people hauling goods passing through all the principal towns of the time and contributed to the revival of European trade.  Cool!

Below is the park just inside the Porta Sant' Anna with its monuments and artwork.

Below are the statues and monuments in the park at the head of the Via Vittorio Veneto.

We continued on, taking in the sites of this amazing tree-lined promenade.  We saw so much and then again saw so little.  Lucca begs more time to explore than we had to give!  

We returned the bikes where no one was paying attention, all glued to the TV showing a stage finish of the Tour de France.  Viva la Tour!

Now mid-afternoon, we tried to find our way to the Lucca walking tour recommended by Rick Steves.  Stumbling about, we passed the Piazza di San Pietro with its church and tower. 

After floundering around for sometime and circling back on some of the same streets we finally got on track and made it to the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro - the architectural ghost of a Roman amphitheater.

We exited the amphitheater and made our way onto the Via Fillungo - the main drag for pedestrian travel in Lucca. 

Of course, more Blub street art to be found...

A typical street scene along the Via Fillungo...

Hamburgers seemed to be a big draw in Lucca.  Gross!

I spy, with my keen eye.... more Blub!

Along the way, I stopped to climb the Guinigi Tower while Kathy window shopped.  
 
 Some cool artwork depicting the climb up to the tree-topped heights of the tower.

At the beginning, the rooftops revealed themselves.  I believe that's the tower of the Duomo San Martino in the background below.

Climbing upward....

Afternoon sun streams through the window openings...

After 227 steps, finally reaching the top with rooftops below, the city lays out before you.  The unique garden on top provided a natural frame to the outstretched vista.

Lucca sits in a flat valley surrounded by hills which provided protection to this ancient non-hilltop town..

It's a beautiful city - from the air or from the ground!

After a spell, I made my way down from the tower and headed to meet Kathi at the Piazza San Michele.  On the way I spotted the quintessential Lucca transport vehicle - the grocery bike!

I was on a mission to meet Kathi, but stopped for a second to admire the Chiesa dei Santi Giovanni e Reparta and its beautiful facade.

I made it to the Piazza San Michele and rendezvoused with Kathi.  We sat on the stoop and rested for a bit - taking in all the activity around the square.  I'm showing my americano-ness, but I fell in love with the Italian cities full of bikes!  I want to live some place like this!

The building facade in front of the bikes is from the original Bertolli shipping company - famed among Italian-Americans as the shipping company their grandparents sailed with to reach America.  Bertolli is perhaps better known by most Americans as one of the first olive oil importers. 

Tucked along the bottom of the building foundation I spotted an unceremoniously placed Blub street art poster!

He says "I must try to save you!" Kind of appropriate for a religious square don't you think?

Across the Piazza San Michele lies the Chiesa di San Michele in Foro (in the forum).  The church was originally built in 795, and then rebuilt in 1070 by the will of Pope Alexander II

Its facade is intricate and beautiful.  Sitting atop the facade is a statue of the winged archangel Michael slaying the mythical dragon.

Inside the church is a 12th century crucifix that hangs above the alter.

Pilgrims following the Via Francigena would pass the Church of San Michele and stop there to refresh themselves, taking the opportunity to venerate fellow travelers, like San Davino (entombed in the alter), an Armenian pilgrim who died in Lucca on his way to Santiago de Campostella, and whose body is said to have gained supernatural powers after is death.

Looking down the nave towards the back of the church.

After our tour of the church, we made our way down the Via Poggio and renourished our souls with some gelato from the Gelateria De Coltelli.  I got scoops of licorice and vanilla while Kathi got two scoops of fig.  You can't get that in your local grocery store - yummy!

Continuing on we encountered a concert being given in the Piazza Cittadella in front of the Puccini Museum.

The local bike (of course) Polizia did not appear to be concerned with any threat or need for crowd control as they were banging out texts as the singers belted out their parts.

It was getting late in the afternoon and we still had to drive to Levanto where we would be spending the night.  On the way out of town, we passed through the Piazza del Salvatore and stopped to admire the Chiesa di San Salvatore.  The church was built in the first decades of the 11th century but the present church is from a 12th century reconstruction where stones from the medieval town wall were used to build the lower part of the building.  

We hustled down the Via degli Asili, and peeked down the alley to get a glimpse of the exterior or the Chiesa di Sant'Agostino.  There seem to be churches around every corner in Lucca!

We retraced our steps past the Palzzo Pfanner (which we had seen from our bike ride on the ramparts), down the Via Cesare Battisti, into the Piassa del Collegio, up the Rampa Sant Frediano, and arrived at the tunnel under the city wall where we had entered the city.

I was charmed by Lucca, and would like to return again to just amble down its many side streets, go inside all the churches, light a candle, and study the artwork and artifacts, hunt for more inconspicuous street-art, stroll or bike along the ramparts and stop at one of the many wall top parks to read a book or have a drink and enjoy the local lifestyle for a couple of days.  If I were lucky enough to have a place to live in Italy, Lucca would get a hard look.

We retrieved the car and, reluctantly, steered it out of the city and pointed it to the northwest towards our final destination for the day - Levanto - gateway to the Cinque Terre.