Portofino, Italy

 

When, I lived/work in/at Gaeta, Italy, I often signed up for the MWR (morale, welfare, and recreation) trips on the tiny Navy Base.  However, they would also be cancelled because there wasn't enough participation.  I found out later that some of this was 'because' the military spouses had their own group and would sponsor their own trips-- which simply meant that there often wasn't enough people to support the base hiring a bus/diver to do the weekend trips.

 

After signing up for a few trips and then find them cancelled, I finally went to the local travel place on base and I asked them if there were any areas that I could go to by train.   So, she got me train tickets to go to Postofino, Italy.   I had to take the city bus to the next town to catch a train and off I went, on an adventure, to Portofino, for the next Saturday.

 

It was only about an hour or so away and often there would be views of the ocean out the train windows.

 

When I arrived, I discovered that the train station was above the town.   I disembarked the train and I followed the few passengers that also got off the train.  The views were breathtaking... an Italian harbor town laid out in it's own private cove, different levels of the town as it flowed down to the beach and the ocean.   You could see the sandy beaches, laughing children, ocean waves splashing against the rocks along the edge of the harbor, and there were many sailboats and a few yachts were docked.  

 

 

*I found out later that this is a 'very' expensive, popular place with the rich and famous too.

 

This is the harbor from the water and all my time was spent 'above all' of this area.   I went back to Portofino another time and I arrived by Ferry to the harbor.  I spent the day there and I only stayed in this area. 

 

 

 

 

We walked down steep, narrow steps from the train station area and eventually ended up in a level area, full of places to eat, gelato stores, and amazing hand painted ceramic shops.  It was very difficult to decide what to purchase.   Some of that was because there was JUST SO MUCH to choose from and every shop had their own different artist and styles of painting.  

 

The other factor in purchasing items was... I was going to have to carry it all back up those narrow steps, onto the train, and back home. 

 

 

 

 

I bought this blue serving platter. 

 

 

This was in a gelato shop... this is the front panel of where all the gelato flavors are displayed.

There were a few shops that sold the hand painted tiles that were to be put together like this.  I bought one with the intention of using it 'somehow' when I finally moved back to the states.   I did use it and I had it placed in my guest bathroom, when I had the shower retiled and updated.

Lots of lemons were on the hand painted ceramics... this is an area that grows and produces a lot of lemons.  

 

I enjoyed my visit so much - especially with the unexpected find of all the shops with hand painted Italian ceramics, that I went back another Saturday with a friend before we both moved to new locations in a few weeks.