Italy > Monastery of San Fruttuoso

At breakfast, we meet the other guests at the Bed and Breakfast. Yesterday, we had the place to ourselves. This morning, all three rooms are occupied. The other two couples are from France. They plan to explore the city today. We say goodbye to Genoa. At the parking garage, we use the discount card we received at our accommodation. This means we pay a maximum of 21 euros per 24 hours. Still quite a sum. We don’t remember exactly which floor we parked on. Each floor seems to use the same numbering. After checking the first and second floors, we find our car on the third floor. We leave Genoa via the coastal road. Despite the morning rush hour, the traffic flows fairly smoothly. However, every intersection has traffic lights. We set the navigation to Nervi, one of the villages along the coast. This way, we avoid being directed to the toll road. When we near Nervi and enter Santa Margherita Ligure as the destination, the navigation still tries to send us to the highway. We ignore this. Today, we plan to visit Portofino, a picturesque village on the edge of a peninsula. Because of its sheltered location and tourist appeal, parking is difficult. Rates go up to six euros per hour. As an alternative, we park in Santa Margherita, which is earlier on the route. From there, we can take a boat to Portofino and the San Fruttuoso monastery. This monastery lies in a bay and can only be reached by water or on foot. At the harbor, we learn the last boat to San Fruttuoso leaves today at 12:30. Bad weather with strong winds is forecast for the sea this afternoon. This means we have only thirty minutes at the monastery. Although we would have preferred more time, we decide to buy a return ticket. On the return trip, we can get off at Portofino. Because the boat does not run later, we will take the bus back to Santa Margherita. It is still half an hour before the boat departs. We walk into the village of Santa Margherita. The wind picks up and threatening clouds hang over the village. In the distance, we hear thunder. It doesn’t take long before thick drops fall. We find shelter. When the ferry arrives, the shower is over. It still drizzles a little. We take a seat on the inner deck. While the boat sails to Portofino, the announcer explains about the villages and houses along the rocky coast. Almost everyone gets off in Portofino. A handful stays on board for the next destination: the San Fruttuoso monastery. As the ferry rounds the bend, the strong wind is noticeable at sea.

Italy - The monastery of San Fruttuoso is located by the sea and is only accessible by boat or on foot

The boat rocks back and forth. After about half an hour, the monastery appears in the bay. What a magnificent sight. This former Benedictine monastery dates back to the year 1000. In the 13th century, the complex came into the hands of the Doria family. The monastery underwent various renovations. We walk into the monastery via the beach. There is a museum in the monastery. We have less than fifteen minutes here. We decide not to visit it. We have no choice; we must catch the last boat back. We walk around the monastery. The view of the bay is beautiful from every angle. Exactly at 12:30, the ferry leaves again. The monastery shrinks behind us. As we enter the harbor of Portofino, we see the brightly colored houses around the harbor. Most of the buildings now house restaurants and cafés. In the bay, dozens of smaller boats lie, as well as some colossal pleasure yachts. A cruise ship is anchored at sea. Passengers are ferried to the quay by small boats. At the Chiesa del Divo Martino church, a wedding is taking place. The guests are just leaving the church, following the fanfare toward the harbor, where lunch is ready for them. We take a seat at another restaurant by the harbor. While we sit, the weather alternates between nice sunshine and strong gusts of wind. The staff doesn’t quite know what to do with the parasols—whether to put them up or take them down. Earlier today, a large parasol blew away, the waiter says. It almost landed on the terrace opposite. After lunch, we walk to the Chiesa di San Giorgio church. The path goes steeply uphill. The view over the bay is beautiful. The interior of the church, however, is somewhat plain. A little further and higher up lies Castello Brown. Since Roman times, this place has been used for defense.

Italy - The harbor of Portofino and the colorful houses on the quay

From the castle terrace, we look down on the harbor of Portofino. This is probably the best viewpoint over the town. Because the ferries have been suspended due to the expected bad weather, we must take the bus back. The bus is already waiting when we arrive. We are not alone. It’s crowded. When we want to buy a ticket from the driver, it turns out to be impossible. Tickets must be purchased in advance, the driver explains in half English and half Italian. With a credit card, it can be done at the orange machine on the bus. A fellow passenger explains that the machine is at the very back of the crowded bus. There is no way to get back there. We have no choice but to ride illegally to Santa Margherita. Although it’s cloudy, the bad weather seems to have passed. We drive to Levanto. For this, we simply take the fastest route and use the toll road. When paying near Levanto, we find out that only cash is accepted. What if we hadn’t had cash on us? Maybe we used the wrong lane. Shortly after, we arrive at our accommodation, an agricultural farm in Levanto. Franka opens the door and welcomes us. She is very enthusiastic and wants to explain everything to us. She jumps from one topic to another and repeats everything multiple times. She gives us all the information about the walks in Cinque Terre for tomorrow and the day after. She is happy that we are staying in Corniglia. We may leave our car at the accommodation during our walking days. It is a ten-minute walk to the station from here, Franka says. If we prefer, we can also get a parking card to park for free at the station. That seems a bit much for us, as we will no longer be guests here tomorrow. After all the explanations, we take a dip in the pool. A nice way to cool off after a humid and oppressive day. Franka also has a tip for our dinner. The center is about a fifteen-minute walk, she says. Because rain is forecast for tonight, she insists we take the parking card. She marks on a map where the card is valid in the center of Levanto. She also calls a restaurant to make a reservation for us. Proudly, she tells us it worked. We decide to walk to the center a bit earlier than the reserved time. Although it is cloudy, it doesn’t look too threatening. We decide to leave the car at home and walk. Just to be safe, we bring rain jackets.

Italy - Staying overnight at an agricultural farm in Levanto

The restaurant is located in the old town. Here, too, narrow winding streets form the street plan. When we arrive at the coast, a strong wind picks up. Not long after, heavy drops fall. Everyone quickly looks for shelter. We decide to go to the restaurant already. It is no problem that we are half an hour early. Our table is ready on the outdoor terrace under a parasol. Soon, water starts dripping through the fabric. We move inside. A great place to eat. When we walk outside after dinner, it is raining hard. Very hard. We decide to take shelter for a while. When the rain eases, we walk back to our hotel. In the room, we take off our wet shoes and pants. We also prepare the walk for tomorrow. The luggage stays in the car. With only the things for one night, we will walk tomorrow.