Italy: Porto Venere

February 2019

I'm still not sure how I found Porto Venere. Perhaps after my disappointment with Cinque Terre I was hoping to find something better and I scoured the internet. As it turns out, I was successful - in spades.

I took the train to La Spezia, a very industrial town just south of the famous Cinque Terre towns. From there, I walked to the port and caught a boat to Porto Venere. I wasn't sure what to expect - perhaps a lot more Chinese tourists. However, I was lucky. Just one town over from the famous five cliffside villages that the world now visits lies the one not included - and no one knows about it.

Porto Venere is just as beautiful as any of its more famous neighbors, but without the crowds. I walked around in a daze - due to its beauty and due to the fact there were hardly any tourists whatsoever.

I find myself tongue-tied when I describe a place I absolutely loved. Porto Venere had a beautiful little harbor, a cliffside walk with a chapel, and an island offshore that was a national park. Even the glitterati had not discovered it - that meant the food and drink were reasonable. It felt nearly perfect.

From the harbor I could see the white peaks of the mountains above Carrara and its famous white marble. Just beyond was Tuscany.

Very high on my list of "return and do nothing" towns in Italy is Porto Venere. I would stay, eat good food, and watch the very chill town go about its business. I am sure in tourist season many people visit, but after experiencing the internet-famous towns just a few kilometers down the coast, I have no desire to be anywhere as mobbed as that coast.

Liguria's best "yet to be discovered" town - Porto Venere. I am happy I saw it when I did (like Prague). Who knows how long it will last....