Traveling by train, in my opinion, is most relaxing and enjoyable. You are able to view the countryside from a whole new perspective and see small towns you would probably not tour. One town, for example, is Carrara (meaning marble fortress), where the quarries supply Carrara marble to the world. We actually are on our… read more

(05/06) We have left the soft, sherbet colored homes behind to begin our explorations of the vivid, colorful Cinque Terrre. Our first stop was the village of Riomaggiore. The village of Riomaggiore is the largest of the villages and the first in Cinque Terre when traveling north from La Spezia, so it’s the most crowded.… read more

With the boat secured in the marina Porto Mirabello, La Spezia, we boarded a train to Levanto, right outside the Cinque Terre National Park. Once in Levanto, we located our accommodations and settled down for the evening. We were exhausted and welcomed good food and drink. Putting a boat in a slip at a marina,… read more

We have left the rainy, Cote d’Azur of France behind and traveled onward towards Italy. The day was overcast, dreary and gray, not offering any wind. We, therefore, motored for about three hours to the port of Imperia, not far from Ventimiglia. Along the way, we noticed that the steep, sheered mountains were replaced more… read more