Italy, San Marino, Liechtenstein Adventure Day 14

Day 14 - Saturday, April 20, 2019 – Ferry Ride to Cinque Terre Villages; Arrive in Porto Venere, Italy; Discover Porto Venere; Sail back to Monterosso al Mare, Dinner in Monterosso al Mare

It was a quiet Saturday morning on our street. The hotel was not full and the breakfast room was almost empty when we went to eat.

Because we leave Monterosso al Mare tomorrow, we wanted to make sure our Renault was still in the parking garage and safe. We walked up the hill to the small garage and found that all was well. We looked for our green parking token and reviewed the procedures for leaving with the manager of the hotel.

At 10:15 we walked to the pier and bought tickets for a day pass on the Consorzio Marittimo Turistico 5 Terre. This local ferry travels to each of the Cinque Terre villages on the Golfo dei Poeti (Gulf of Poets) and then ends in Porto Venere at the end of the peninsula.

At 35 Euros each, it was another way to see the fishing villages from the perspective of the sea. Many people choose this mode of transportation and when our ferry came in to Monterosso, 600 passengers got off and 600 of us got on for the trip south along the coast.

The weather was delightful, warm at almost 70 degrees with full sun and a slight breeze after we pulled away for the dock. We talked with a family from Rome who were on their Easter holiday.

Our ferry stopped at each of the villages to let people off and to take on more. The stops were anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes depending on the number of passengers coming and going.

The ferry traveled at about 21 miles per hour or 18.2 knots. The seas were very calm and the blue green of the Mediterranean Sea was amazingly clear.

Because we had made extensive visits to each of the Cinque Terre villages by train or on our trek, we did not get off until we reached Porto Venere about an hour and thirty minutes from Monterosso al Mare.

The port was originally a Roman fishing settlement from 11 BCE and a wealthy Genoese Family built the castle in 1161. With a truly unique profile from the sea, the small church of San Pietro, dating from the 1189 welcomed us to the natural harbor.

Arriving at the port a little after 1:00, we had plenty of time to walk around and explore before catching one of the returning ferries for Monterosso. We walked through the medieval arches of the historic medieval walls and found a Fish Cone take-away shop.

We did not want to miss an opportunity for fresh seafood and this vendor was especially helpful in providing a perfect lunch. Our cone held shrimp, anchovies, calamari, and cod – sprinkled with fresh lemon juice, it was the best we have had in Cinque Terre!

We sat on a bench in the city park and ate our lunch and watched people walk by. It was amazing to see how many people travel with their dogs. Might be nice for the people, but the dogs seem very hot and thirsty.

Back on the ferry, we sat on the top deck for our return trip. The bright afternoon sunlight was glistening on the water and spreading yellow light on the little villages of Cinque Terre.

We arrived back “home” at the Margherita Hotel at 3:45 and began our afternoon work preparing the journal. A bit later in the evening we went out for a light dinner and then started packing our bags for our travel day to Florence tomorrow.

Accommodations: Margherita Hotel - - - Meal: B, L, D