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Travel Photos...Italy 2014, Page Three
The Italian Riviera and the Cinque Terre
In April/May, 2014, I spent about 5 weeks exploring the Northern part of Italy. I stayed in six cities: Milan, Turin, Genoa, Florence, Padua and Verona. From those cities I was able to do day trips to a variety of locations, like Venice, the Cinque Terre, Siena, Pisa, Lago di Garda, Lake Como and Lake Maggiore.
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Portovenere.

As I mentioned on the previous page, Genoa was a great base for day trips along the Italian Riviera. On this day, I took a train to La Spezia and then a bus to Portovenere. I then caught a ferry which went all along the coast of the Cinque Terre, stopping at a few of the villages.

One could get off the ferry at any of the stops along the way, explore the village, and then catch the next ferry onwards. This was a great way to see these beautiful coastal villages from the sea. Fortunately, it was a perfect day for taking photos.
Portovenere lies at the Southern tip of the Ligurian Peninsula. It has a history stretching back to the First Century AD. The ancient defensive walls are testament to the turbulent episodes in its history.
This is a view of St Peters Church in Portovenere, as seen from the ferry which was heading out to sea, and to the villages of the Cinque Terre.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think that this is the village of Corniglia, in the Cinque Terre.
Manarola.
Manarola.
Riomaggiore.

I took the opportunity to get off the ferry here to explore this village, before catching the next ferry in about an hour's time.
Riomaggiore.
One last wave to Riomaggiore.
Vernazza.

I have photos of this village from a previous visit, and uploaded some of them onto this website. See the links to Italy 2009 in the Travel Photos Page.
Vernazza.
Vernazza again. The rocks must tell a fascinating geological story of this region.
Monterosso.

The final stop of this ferry ride along the coast of the Cinque Terre.
Rapallo.
You can easily catch a bus to Portofino from St Margherita Ligure, but I love walking along the coastal road. There is now a promenade alongside the road for much of the way, which is a good idea, taking into account the amount of traffic. Halfway to Portofino, you can take a narrow path which climbs up into the hills, and the last leg of the journey is through pleasant wooded slopes.
Getting ready for the lunch hour rush in Portofino.
One last shot of Portofino.

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