14 February 2024 – Sestri Lavante

Miles driven today = 84

Total Miles to date = 1,221

Look what somebody left on my pillow while I was making our early morning cuppa.  I hope Lisa doesn’t find out.  It was written on the back of her bookmark.

Despite taking the toll road for a significant portion of yesterday’s journey it still took us 5 hours to travel less than 100 miles.  Google Maps reckoned that if we took the non-toll roads today it would take at least as long again so we only followed the SS1 coast road for a relatively short distance.

The single track roads and overhanging boulders around Capo Noli made for an interesting ride and the Castillo di Monte Ursino above the town of Noli, with its fortifications clambering up the hillside, also looked as though it could be worthy of further exploration.  But shortly after that we took a left turn and got ourselves onto the E80 toll road in order to avoid Genoa and the succession of larger resorts which stretch along the Italian Riviera.

Once we had got past Genoa we took on a semi-troglodyte existence for a while as tunnel after lengthy tunnel took us burrowing deep beneath the Ligurian hills.  We exited at Sestri Levante.  On French toll roads you pay for each section separately but here you take a ticket when you join the toll road and pay for the whole journey at the end, which seems a lot more sensible provided you don’t lose your ticket.  I’d read recently that it’s about €9 per 100km.  The toll for the journey was a little over €10 so that sounds about right.

We quickly found our way to Camping Fossa Lupara, which is a €23 per night ACSI site.  I was initially a bit concerned by how close we are to the motorway but there is surprisingly little road noise.  We are booked in here for 2 nights so we can use it as a base to explore the Cinque Terre tomorrow.

We managed to get here just before reception closed for lunch so we got ourselves settled before walking the 2km down into the town of Sestri Lavante itself.

The town is built around a narrow rocky promontory with sandy bays to either side.

On the Eastern side is the charming and very sheltered Baia del Silenzio.

The temperature touched 18 degrees today and some of the kids on the beach were running about in swimming costumes while adults soaked up the sunshine at the only open bar on the Bay.  I haven’t been tempted to get my shoes and socks off for a paddle yet but it’s only a matter of time!

Since we have been in Italy we have seen lots of houses like these which have been painted to look as though they have ornately carved features.

The Church of Santa Maria di Nazareth.

We had a good wander around the pedestrianized shopping areas.

Then we headed back to the Baia delle Favole and sat on a bench while we took in the view along the coast whilst steeling ourselves for the long march back to the campsite.

15 February 2024 - The Cinque Terre