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Finale Liguri to Alassio 7 August

Slowly down because we only have to be in Nice around 20 August when Alex and John will join us. Taking time to enjoy the Italian Rivera, which is beautiful. Left Finale Liguri this morning and have arrived in Alassion where we will spend two nights. The town and surroundings seem to have a lot to offer. 

We are having problems with publishing photos but are working on it.

Genoa to Liguri Finale, 6 August

Leaving Genoa, passing an enormous cruise line, Emerald Princess, which must have sneaked into the harbour last night. No swell.

Passing The Latern, a lighthouse at the entrance to the old port. Has been a landmark for centuries.

Goodbye Genoa, a really interesting, exciting a even a bit scary ( if you get lost in the narrow alleys)  city.

Arriving at a little bit of paradise, Finale Liguri. View towards the left...

And view towards the right 

Chiavari to Genoa 4 August

Could not decide where to go next and in the end settled on Genoa. Only about 3 hours which was good after a very hot, sticky and ichy night with hungry mozzies feasting on us.

Leaving Chiavari.

Another view if Chiavari which turned out to be a pleasant town, but hot. It is to be pronounced Keiavari and not with ch, because then it apparently means something bad on Italian, but no one will tell us what!

Approaching Portofino, the base for the rich and famous.

Getting closer, but not daring to go in, too small a boat!

This looks like a military ship, complete with helicopter on board, Portofino.

We enter in to the bay of San Fruttoso. We look for the statue of Christ which was placed there by a diver who wanted to place a statue of Jesus Christ on the place where his friend died during a dive. The statue is at a depth of 15 m and is 2,5 m high and weighs 260 kg. 

Here in the bay somewhere is the statue of Christ. We couldn't find it. 

Lots of trip boats and private yachts go into the bay. 

To my great surprise we see this enormous ship in the dry dock as we enter into Genua Harbour. It is Costa Concordia who went aground on the shores of the island Giglio year 2012. 

It is almost possible to see which parts of the ship was above the water. The ship was salvaged in 2014

We followed this big sail ship on the way to our Marina Antico. 

Next to us is the famous Genua Aquarium. 

and the famous biosphere. 

Le Grazie to Chiavari 3 August

A last trip to the bathroom before leaving Le Grazie. 

Filling up with diesel in Portovenere, the same place we had a wonderful dinner with Chloe for her 50 th birthday, many years ago!

We have also realised that we are being followed ( or we are following) Lord Byron through Europe. We met him in Chanakale where he apparently swam across the Dardenelles. Here in the Portovenere we find a Grotto Byron". A bit of research shows that he swam from Portovenere to Lerici. According to some, he swam this stretch a few times to meet two ladies who he kept in Lerici.

Even in Livorno there is reference to Byron. Percy Shelley sailed from Lerici to Livorno. On the return journey a sudden storm blew up and sunk the boat. There is an account by Edward Trelawney that the boat was rammed by some Italians because they thought that BYRON , who had been seducing their wives was on board. Going to be fun to freshen up,our knowledge of Byron and Shelley, for that matter.

Portovenere.         

Byrons Grotto is underneath this church.

And so onto the Cinque Terre  which we walked several times 15 years ago.

Cinque Terre and its five villages.

Riomaggiore

Manarola

Corniglia

Vernazza

Monte Rosso

The marina in Chiavara. 

What a fine surprise. The whole family Strikha from Ukraine come to visit us on the boat. Grandparents Valery and Svetlana. Alexy and wife Marina and the boys Anton and Valery. 

Alexy and Marina on a HD motorbike and Valery and Svetlana with the boys in a VW pick-up truck. 

We celebrated with prosecco on the boat  and went later to a fine restaurant for Ligurian specialities. 

Marina di Pisa to Le Grazie

As usual ended up in a place quite by chance. We're planning on La Spezia, but the Marina cost  90 euros, plus tax plus cost for shower! So we came to Le Grazie, in the La Spezia Bay. We were here 15 years ago when Chloe turned 50!

Leaving Tuscany and the beautiful  coastline.

La Grazie, a sleepy sunday afternoon sort of town.

We are moored right next to a little beach, with clear, cool water for a change.

Carl taking a shower after a swim.

The la Spezia Bay in the background, taken from our jetty.

And suddenly the jetty was filled with giggling girls, obviously a hen party, the bride to be was blindfolded until she stepped onto the boat.

Time for a Sunday afternoon sleep.

La Grazie is a suburb of La Spezia. It has its own little bay, I suppose out 5-10 km from La Spezia.

Carl with LelleBellle in the background.

Lovely spot except for a continuous swell from all the boats going in and out. But calm at night, though.

Sundowners at a place closeby where this beautiful boarder collie lived. He was playing with his ball all the time. Reminded us of Nellie.

Went across the road for dinner and enjoyed the delightful company of Roberto and Loretta.

They are on holiday in la Spezia, but come from Milan. Lots of fun.

At the end of the evening they rode off on their Vespa?

Always fun with spontaneous meetings.

Marina di Pisa 31 July - 1 August

JTwo extremely lazy days with only a few things to do, washing, swim and haircut. Getting ready to set off for La Spezia tomorrow.

Very easy. Just follow the instructions. Grazie. 

Sandy beaches. No, but anyway white. A bit coarse but perfectly comfortable. 

At last Carl finds a real barber, right next to the Marina!

San Miniato 30 July by bus and train

Time to explore Toscana, Tuscany. We planned a trip to a town San Miniato. When we arrived at the station in Pisa we had forgotten the name of the town and had to consult our customer services man yet again to find out where we were going. Now he just sighs and helps us. We consulted him quite a few times while trying to find train routes for Calle.

Train and bus and an hour later we are in San Miniato. What attracted us to Miniato was a line in a brochure " San Miniato is a Slow Food town in the heart of an area that is famous for it's food and wine." Among local delicacies is the white truffle, which we smelt but did not taste.

Carl with a statue of a truffle hunter and his dog.

San Miniato has an interesting history. In 713 the Longoboards built a church to the matyr Miniato, and the town has therefore German origins since the Middle Ages. 

In the following 5 centuries San Miniato grew as a medieval defensive wall since Otto I Duke of Saxony, in 962  (who we remember from Magdaburg) made it become one of the centres of the imperial administration.

By the end of the 14 th century San Miniato had to abide by the authority of the new Florentine Signoria. At the end of the 19 th century San Miniato was a well established town. During the Second World War the German army destroyed the tower of Frederick II, which was rebuilt in 1957.

During the Florentine time, 1622, the Grand Duchess Maria Maddalena of Austria, wife of Cosimo dei Medici, promoted San Manioto making it place to " see" !

San Miniato is on the via Francigena, a pilgrim route. There are many, many churches and museums here, with paintings and articles from medieval times.  And a castle in the town Fredrick II, Duke of Swabia built in 1218.

There were not that many restaurants to choose from but we found a  good one on Piazza Popolo.

Sat next to a large family who were highly amused by Carl's usual tactics. On the other table were two Norwegian ladies, about 70,  who had come to the area to see a concert by Andrea Bocelli in his hometown, not far from here. Particurly one of them was very impressed that we had a Norwegian boat. She said that she had owned a Nidelv which she, her husband and kids had sailed around the Norwegian and Swedish coasts. Carl says that she probably murdered her husband because he dragged her and three kids around on a boat  and that she is now living a free life!   Such insight Carl has.

Antipasti, a delicious peach marinade.

   Primo ricotta cheese, aubergine and anchovy

Secondo, linguini and smoked tartar.

The Piazza Popolo.

Back "home" in Marina di Pisa , a full moon which we see for the third time on this trip.