The beautiful town of Portofino lies along the coast of the Italian Riviera. This region, known as Liguria, is particularly beautiful, since the alpine foothills seem determined to crowd the beach into the sea. Parts of the coast are so rugged that it is literally easier to travel between towns by boat than by road. The Portofino promontory is especially attractive, with a profusion of pine, cypress and olive trees. Hiking and nature trails abound. The Ligurian people are hard workers and cultivate their small farms intensively, but since they have such difficulty making a living from the soil, the sea has always provided a magnificent alternative. Among the long line of seafarers from here, we can list not only Columbus, but Amerigo Vespucci and Andrea Doria, who was the Admiral that led the Genoese fleet against the Turkish navy and the Barbary Pirates with great success. Portofino lies along the so called Riviera de Levante, between Genoa and Tuscany. Since the time of the Romans, local farmers have produced fine olives, grapevines, vegetables, fruit and all kinds of flowers, especially roses and carnations. Liguria’s special pasta sauce is pesto. Fresh basil leaves are pounded with a mortar and pestle (hence the name) together with garlic, pine nuts, and pecorino cheese, then mixed with olive oil. Riviera natives insist that one needs the fine local oil and basil to produce a really “perfect” pesto. 
Gary and I took the tender in and as soon as we got there we were in awe of the beauty of this amazing port. It’s very small and could probably be seen in ½ day. While Monte Carlo/Monaco was geared mostly to power boats, Portofino is all sail and built around the most picturesque harbor. While we were there they were practicing for the “Expresso Cup” race to be held in a few days. The boats were all 70’-80’ long with all teak decks and magnificent sails. It will take a lot to get Gary back on the tender.
We spotted a narrow stone staircase and decided to take it to wherever it would lead. As it turned out, we ended up on the top of another small mountain overlooking the town below. There was a castle at the top along with a church and very old cemetery. It took us about ½ hour to make it to the top and I no longer felt guilty about not exercising before we left this morning. When we returned to the harbor, we went down a steep slopping stone path (easier than the stairs) and walked through the town for a while. There were many outdoor cafes along with several designer boutiques and a few souvenir shops. Flowers were everywhere and the entire setting was too beautiful to describe.
This was our last stop, so sad, and we had to get back to the ship to finish packing. The entertainment this evening is the “Texas Tenors” and they are fantastic, truly the best show we have seen on the ship. Dinner saw everyone exchanging addresses , phone numbers & e-mail addresses with lots of hugging and tears. A lot of camaraderie develops when you eat, drink, tour, swim, sail. laugh & cry with the same people for 4 months. We will miss our friends but will certainly try to keep in touch. Tomorrow night we will be home – can’t believe it.
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