Our nephew Patrick is a veteran hiker with both the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails checked off. When he realized that we were staying next to an Italian National Park with mountainous sea-side trails he was up before dawn for a 6-hour / 7-mile hike from Camogli to Portofino. The first 40 minutes alone was a continuous flight of stairs to the Church of San Rocco - just a warm-up for what turned out to be a pretty strenuous up-and-down hike.
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After meeting our nephew Patrick at the Milan airport and giving him a quick tour of the Milan Piazza del Duomo, we headed back to Genoa by train to spend the night at Hotel Ricci in Piazza Colombo. We were a short walk from the Genoa train station and to the center of a bustling shopping district including the huge and very cool Mercato Orientale Genova (MOG). Pasta, fish, candy, vegetables...if it's edible, it's here. At the heart of the market is a food court - think Eataly - 11 "Food corners" each with its own local specialty surrounding a central bar and seating area. From Pescara to Milan we took a Frecciarossa - Italy’s high-speed train. [Word of advice - book these early online to save a considerable amount. We did not and learned this lesson.] The 4.5 hour ride was comfortable and scenic. We were glad we brought snacks. Our stay in Milan would be just one night so we could meet up with our nephew, Patrick, who was coming to Italy for the first time. We chose our accommodations for their proximity to the train station and price, but our stay at Guest House Brianza Rooms was better than expected - small and modest, but clean and comfortable. En route to the Duomo - a 40-minute walk - we stumbled upon beautiful courtyard gardens, architecture with a twist, and Christmas Italian style. The best way to find a great hairstylist? Ask someone with a great cut! Our new friend in Pescara, Elga, had a slamming one. She recommended her sister Iron-Man athlete, Monia Coletti who is a true master. Not to be out-done, Richard popped into Barbiereitalia Piero Rinaldi for a fresh new look of his own. Pescara is the perfect combination of a thriving city and a sea-side town on the Adriatic coast. Richard's family lives there so we scheduled a full week to catch up. Our AirBnB overlooks "Il Fiume" - a canal filled with fishing boats that runs through the city to the sea. Each morning outside our bedroom window a brilliant sunrise over the Adriatic was accompanied by the shouts of the fishermen loading their boats. Just when Camogli - the town of a million steps, focaccia, and pesto - was feeling like home, the week drew to a close and we were off on our next adventure. True to the spirit of “Meet Us Anywhere”, we set off on our way to Budapest, Hungary, to catch up with our friend Susan who is adding a fun weekend to her business trip in that fabulous Central European capital. Because we had a very early flight we would need to spend the night at the Tower Genoa Hotel, just steps away from the Genoa airport.
How do you capture it’s magic? This Italian seaside town is built into a rugged mountainside where stucco houses are transformed by "trompe l’oeil" painting that gives the illusion of blocks, cornices, and balconies. Tiny alleyways intersect staircases that stretch for 30, 50, 70 steps or more and deliver you to lovely streets where it’s impossible to resist pasta, pastry, seafood, and local Ligurian wine. After a journey that started at 5:30 am Eastern time on October 16 and ended at 1:00 pm Central European time on October 18, we arrived at our first stop in Italy - the beautiful Italian Riviera town of Camogli. The trek started in Richmond VA with a flight to JFK where we took the AirTrain and NYC Subway to meet our generous host, Molly, to pick up the keys to the Comogli apartment and get some last minute tips. On the way to the AirTrain Nancy spied a convenient baggage storage service - RELIEF! After lunch with Molly we headed back on the subway to JFK - our flight was not leaving until 11:00 PM! Thank you eBooks from the Minuteman Library! |
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