Fabulous must visit part of Genoa. I am in love with this city and it's massive medieval centre…read morewhich is supposed to be the biggest in Europe. Via Garibaldi is an amazing street with lots of small palaces and amazing architecture surrounding it. I could spend days here photographing buildings and narrow lanes :-)))) I would recommend this as a must visit :-)

During our Mediterranean cruise we booked an excursion to Portofino & what more can be said? Expect…read morejust WOW! As u enter the port u are just speechless with the amazing scenery, Mother Nature really put some effort here. We docked & had time to explore, such a lovely area, lots of high end shops, souvenirs & plenty of places to eat, the price here is the scenery & it did not disappoint!

Porto di Portofino is a beautiful small Italian fishing village and holiday resort famous for its…read morepicturesque harbour and historical association with celebrity and artistic visitors. It is located just a half hour boat, train, or car ride away from the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. Potofino is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line it's shore. With a short hike up to Castello Brown or Brown Castle, you can get a awesome view of the port of Portofino and the surrounding area which is ideal for the best photographs! References to Portofino date all the way back to 29 AD. After 1229 it was part of the Republic of Genoa. In 1409 Portofino was sold to the Republic of Florence by Charles VI of France, but when he was ousted from Genoa, the Florentines gave it back. In 1815 it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and, from 1861, it became part of the unified Kingdom of Italy. Notable residents include King Richard I of England in 1190 and Pope Gregory XI in 1377 along with several famous politicians, writers, painters, actors, and actresses. The Statue of Christ of the Abyss was placed underwater on 29 August 1954 in the inlet at a depth of 17 metres or 56 ft. This statue was placed to protect fishermen and scuba divers and in memory of Dario Gonzatti, the first Italian to use SCUBA gear, who died in 1947. In 1999, Universal Studios recreated a full-scale replica of Portofino Bay at Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, USA, but it is missing all the mountains and yachts. In 2001, Portofino inspired a recreation of the seaside town around the harbour at Tokyo DisneySea in Chiba, Japan. In 1959 Dalida released an Italian song "Love in Portofino" which Andrea Bocelli reissued in 2013. In 2017, Ferrari named one of their new V8 sports cars after Portofino. The weather on my visit in August was pretty hot but not cloudy and the town was not too packed with tourists that you couldn't move along the town shops and paths, which was ideal. For those with extra time, you can take a tour of Castello Brown. I highly recommend taking a boat trip to enjoy the beauty of this town and the surrounding area from the water! If you're anywhere near Genoa, Portofino is a must see! I highly recommend visiting for a day trip!

Village number three of five. Manarola was one of the villages we visited in the Cinque Terre. We…read moretook the train from Riomaggiore to Manarola to attend a pesto making class we booked on line. We didn't know which direction we had to go to get there so we decided to follow the crowd. Well that idea didn't work either because there were people everywhere. We saw some stairs that led up to a hill and that's when we realized we were headed in the right direction. This hill was quite the work out but the views from the top were absolutely stunning. Great location for a pesto making class and even better views of the Ligurian Sea and the Italian flag at the top was the icing on the cake.

We took the train from La Spezia where our hotel is to Manarola. The train was clean and the…read moreeasiest way to get from La Spezia to Cinque Terre. It was raining when we were there so the ferry wasn't an option with the choppy water. Manarola is beautiful. The buildings are so colorful. The main street from the train station down to the harbor was a short walk with lots of touristy shops, restaurants, and gelato shops. Lots of little boats out in front of the shops along the path too. Walk down to the harbor to look back at Manarola to see all the colorful buildings lined up next to each other. Then take the path to the left and hike up to the top of that hill to take a look back at Manarola. It's not as colorful as Vernazza but just as beautiful.

You can reach the Castle of Riomaggiore by climbing the steep road from the railway station or up…read morethrough the Town from the boat dock. Next door is the pretty Oratory of San Rocco and both are worth the walk for the views and yet another history lesson. Work on this fortification began in 1260 and it was then passed on the City of Genoa in 1276. The castle has a square base with the longest sides overlooking the sea. The outer wall has two circular towers with the entrance located between them. A narrow external staircase leads up to the tower where there is a large clock. Over time the castle has been renovated and until few years ago it housed the town cemetery. The castle on a hill divides the two little valleys of Rio Maggire and Rio Finale and from here you get a stunning panoramic experience.

We climbed everything we physically could during our two days at Cinque Terre. The views are…read moreamazing. All are wonderful!

To get a good perspective of just how large Torino is, go to the top of the Mole Antonelliana…read more With 360 degree views, you can get a great perspective of the expanse of Torino . A must do for fans of the city.

Beautiful building housing the Museo del Cinema. A must see…read morewhile in Torino.