We packed up our stuff as this was our last day in Italy. We were able to leave our luggage at the hotel while we spent the day in beautiful Portofino.
With my friends Edye and Jane while waiting for the ferry.
And also with the hosts of the tour, Matt and Emily, out TV weatherman and news anchor. Again, they were delightful!
We boarded the ferry and took a short ride to Portofino.
As soon as I saw it, I knew I was going to love it!
How could you not love this little village!
Stone streets that were also very narrow. Small shops along the way with paintings of Portofino that look just like the colorful village. I always thought those paintings were enhanced but actually they look just like the village.
I didn't spend too much time in the village itself and I decided to walk up to the lighthouse. I figured it would be my only opportunity to ever visit a lighthouse on the Mediterranean Sea!
We were warned that it was quite a hike up to the lighthouse. I'm the only one out of the tour group that walked up to it. Guess not as many people like lighthouses as much as I do!
The first set of stairs that I encountered.
A beautiful view when I got to the top of this set of stairs.
Another set of stairs.
There were lots more stairs but I won't post pictures of all of them! I'd have to stop and take a rest every now and then but the views were beautiful and worth the walk.
Another beautiful view a bit higher.
I walked through some narrow passages.
And saw some beautiful gates and doors along the way. I wondered what was behind them and who lived there...and how in the world they got to their house!
I was able to catch sight of Castello Brown.
Some houses were right on the path.
Another beautiful door.
Another rest stop and another beautiful view.
A closer view of the castle.
Keep walking!
Finally the lighthouse is in sight...thank goodness!
The lighthouse is closed so I couldn't go inside. It wasn't the most beautiful lighthouse I have ever seen but worth the walk just so I could say I saw it.
The walk down was far easier and I photographed a few more things on the way down.
There was a gelato place as I finished the last set of stairs. I thought I deserved it after that hike and also it was lunch since I didn't have time to stop and eat anything.
Goodbye to Portofino!
The lighthouse from the water.
I lifted the picture below from the internet. The lighthouse looks much prettier from this view.
We took the ferry back to the hotel, loaded the luggage and headed to Milan, which was three hours away. We stayed at the Best Western there which was close to the airport. Unfortunately we didn't have any time to see anything in Milan. It was just a place to stay before flying home.
We had a farewell dinner that evening at the hotel. I'm sure there was a pasta dish first, then this chicken dish.
Ending with flan.
The next morning we were off to the airport. We had a beautiful view of the Alps on our way there.
Other than the nasty cold, bronchitis and ear infection I came home with, I had a wonderful time in Italy!
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