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Once on the boat, we headed up the
Ligurian coast to Portovenere. Arriving in Portovenere was amazing. Portovenere has a beautiful sheltered harbor lined with colorful houses that are six or more stories high along the Calata Doria or the quay. Originally built in the Middle Ages as defense towers, the houses
provided an escape out the upper floors on the back side and up to the safety of Castello Doria. A huge four masted sailing ship was anchored in the harbor.
The castle sits on a rocky hill above the town. We “disembarked” in Portovenere and had a couple of hours to explore.
Castle Doria above Portovenere
Window on the Castle Doria
Looking up from St. Peter's
Arriving in Portovenere was amazing.
When we were ready to leave, Karin bought some Prosecco for us to have on the boat ride along the Cinque Terre coast to Levanto (She was always looking out for us like that!). We all sat on the top deck and soaked up the sun, drank Prosecco, and enjoyed the 360 degree views.
Seeking a high vantage point, I headed up to the castle and to have a look around. The path was steep and rocky, but the views alone were worth the walk. Castle Doria dates to 1161, but had a major reconstruction in 1458. There’s a small fee to enter the castle, but many of the best views are from within the castle grounds. Cathy explored the town and did a little window shopping.
First stop, we walked all the way through town to the Church of St. Peter (dates to 1256). It’s on the north end of town built on a promontory overlooking the Gulf of la Spezia and the Arpaia Grotto. The setting and views are amazing. Everywhere we looked there was a new and different view framed by windows in stone walls. We spent a while wandering through the church and surrounding area.
Portovenere is not officially part of the Cinque Terre, but it’s a small and interesting town, definitely worth the stop. It’s impossible to get lost in Portovenere, even without a map. There are a couple of main streets that run parallel to the water, connected by any number of streets, alleys, or paths.
Sailing ship in Portovenere harbor.
Jim and Cathy head back into town. (Photo by Char)
A Cinque Terre "subdivision"
On the boat, Paul helps Karin pour the Prosecco.
Saying goodbye to Portovenere
Houses cling to the rugged hills along the Cinque Terre
Portovenere art.
Panoramic view from Castle Doria.
Monterosso
Vernazza
Corniglia
Manarola
Cathy and the group arriving in Levanto
Arriving i
n Levanto 
Colorful kayaks at the beach i
n Levanto. 
Locals walking the beach at sunset.
Kayakers i
n the Levanto Sunset 
The Cinque Terre train
Riomaggiore
Church and the castle leaving Portovenere
Riomaggiore
Through a window in the castle.
Picturesque windows complete with laundry.
Harbor view.
View from the church terrace.
View heading up to Castle Doria
Bell tower from the castle.
Church of St. Peter overlooks the Gulf of la Spezia
Another naturally framed view.
Window on the Portovenere harbor.
View from St. Peter's
David, Bonnie, Wendy, Cathy and Diane at St. Peter's.
At the hotel, we got a great room with a balcony that had a handy clothes line for laundry (just in case you need it). The hotel hosted a social hour with hors d’oeuvres and wine. Later, we had an incredible buffet dinner at the hotel with many local specialties, a hearty Ligurian seafood soup (zuppe di pesce) and so much more. Dessert was decadent fresh cream puffs with chocolate sauce. Before calling it a night, we enjoyed a locally made limoncino, northern Italy’s answer to limoncello made in the south of Italy. Limoncino or limoncello is a very common (and inexpensive to produce) liqueur made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar.
We arrived in Levanto just in time to enjoy a picturesque sunset. “Que Bello” means “How beautiful” in Italian and it definitely was. Giorgio and the hotel staff had already transported our bags from the bus to the hotel.
The boat stopped at each of the Cinque Terre towns along the way, but only long enough to let a few folks disembark and others board. The boats don’t really “dock”, they just pull up next to the stop and folks carefully get on and off. Since we had all the next day to explore the Cinque Terre, we stayed on board and headed for our hotel. The views of the Cinque Terre towns from the sea provided a great first impression.
Leaving Portovenere, we skirted the promontory providing even more views of the town, the church, the castle, and the grotto. Small villages, houses, and vineyards dot the hills along the coast.
