The Sixth Land

I’d like to think it’s all down to superior planning, but surely there is also luck involved in my travels so far.  Here in Porto Venere, I’ve been staying at the Hotel Belvedere which is quite lovely. I've got a large room with mini-fridge and king bed. Ample, lush towels and extensive buffet breakfasts.  Here was my view last night.

 

Full moon over Porto Venere

 Somehow, I scored one of the two rooms that has a balcony.

 

I had originally thought I’d spend some of this ‘advance’ time in Cinque Terre, but since I’ve been there, I opted for Porto Venere which is a bit south of the Gulf of Poets (aka The Gulf of La Spezia).  There are tourists here, yes, but only a smattering and my days here have been chill.

Besides, there is an on/off ferry service from here that stops at four of the five Cinque Terre towns, and you can buy a day pass, which I did yesterday. The ferry is an enjoyable ride as it traces the spectacular coastline up to Monterosso.   

 

 

I spent around two hours there where it seemed pretty uncrowded, but now I realize that’s because it was early and people weren’t yet out.  During my return, I stopped at Vernazza and then Riomaggiore, both of which were jam-packed. I’m grateful I’m staying in under-the-radar Porto Venere.

I leave here tomorrow, headed for Firenze where my month of “living like a local” (haha) begins.   

Here are some highlights of my past few days:

There has been lots of silent traffic on the gulf outside my window.  A number of Bezos-style yachts have glided in and out. A medium-sized cruise ship was anchored out there for a day – there’s a cruise port up at La Spezia but not here – which was a bit puzzling, but I believe it was out of service/empty.  It was there when I returned to my room yesterday afternoon but had vanished about ½ later when I hadn’t been paying attention. No horns, no engine rumble, just gone. There’s a different one anchored out there right now.

 

Here is Byron’s Grotto, so named because supposedly he swam from here across the gulf to Lerici to visit P.B. Shelley. I’m not buying it. Even if he did swim the gulf, no way he would have started from here where he’d have to round the peninsula first. 

 

This is a statue of mater-naturae (Mother Nature) that overlooks Byron’s grotto. As I was walking past it again today, I saw an American man point to it and call to his wife Honey, don’t you want to take a picture of the Buddha?  

 

  

And in case you're wondering, the water really is that gorgeous aqua color, and the sky really is that vibrant blue.  

That's all for now. See you in Firenze! 

 

 (Note: a reader has asked me to increase my font size, so I've tried to do that.  Maybe it's too big - I can't tell yet.)