April 28 - Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy

 This morning we anchored off this lovely little Italian city.  Santa Margherita Ligure is a city of about 10,000 people located 20 miles southeast of Genoa on the Ligurian coasts.  Right next door is its more famous neighbor, Portofino, a resort beloved by the rich and famous. 

We had no tour planned today so we slept in (hooray!) and after a leisurely breakfast we tendered ashore.  It is Saturday and the weather is lovely so the Italians were enjoying this weekend day.  Along the shore in Santa Margherita there is a nice little promenade with trees, benches, and some statues.  Here’s Al with Columbus who was from this area.

 

Al and Columbus

A little shopping street in Santa Margherita

We walked into the little city center and found a small market with fresh produce.  I’ve always been in love with markets so I have to include a couple of photos of some of the most wonderful tomatoes and fresh peas I’ve ever seen.  Oh, to have some of these available at home!

Are these not the most beautiful tomatoes?

There's nothing like spring peas!

After taking in the sights here we decided to get a taxi to go to Portofino.  It’s only 6 km away on a winding and narrow road that hugs the coast.  We had a little wait as two buses going in opposite directions squeezed past each other.  I’m positive we could never ever drive here.  Close to Portofino there was a police roadblock.  There is almost no parking in Portofino so the police only allow private cars to go in as the same number of  private vehicles exit.  Taxis and public service vehicles are waved past the checkpoint.

When our driver dropped us off we walked down to the harbor and its main square.  This place is one of the most picturesque we’ve seen.  The harbor is surrounded by brightly colored buildings, many with trompe l’oeil painting.  There are lots of restaurants and cafes around the perimeter.  We did a little window shopping first and then found a place for lunch.  It was good but took an extra long time.  Everyone around us was served but our food didn’t come.  We’d ordered a bottle of wine and we think they figured we were hooked so we were last on the list.  When we asked for the check (minus the food) it suddenly appeared. Lesson learned for us. 

The harbor in Portofino

Portofino

After lunch we bought a few things and then took a cab back to the tender dock.  The captain has told us that tomorrow in Bandol, France we’ll likely have some rain in the afternoon. We have nothing planned so we’ll go with the flow.

This evening as we sailed away from our last Italian port Seabourn had a classical sailaway.  Up around the pool on Deck 8 the ship’s entertainment cast  and assistant cruise director  did a wonderful show including classic and show music.  Meanwhile the culinary team served caviar and Italian dishes made from ingredients the chef had purchased yesterday in the market in Livorno.

Tonight we dined at the Thomas Keller Grill.  He’s a world-class chef that Seabourn has paired with. We’ve eaten here before last year and the food didn’t disappoint tonight.  So that’s it for today.  Tomorrow we may have a sea day in port if the weather isn’t good.  Since we’ll be in France tomorrow I’ll say “Bon soir.”