Portofino, Portovenere, the Cinque Terre

Elaine · Portofino, Portovenere, the Cinque Terre

I think I had mentioned in past langcafé sites that I have always dreamed of visiting the Cinque Terre (and Portofino and Portovenere)

So if any of you have ever been to these places, do tell!

Portofino

Portovenere

Manarola

Vernazza

Riomaggiore

fab

Hello Elaine,

I've been quite a few times to Genova, and, since it is not far from it to Portofino, when I lived in Nice at about two hours by road from there.

Portofino is a VERY LITTLE but very charming town. In my opinion it is too much touristic and so very crowded in summer and difficult to acces.
A bit like Saint-Tropez a lot of famous pêople goes there in their yatch to be seen and to "se la peter" as we say in French...

I would advice you to go there more in the "low season".

Elaine

Thanks for the tip, Fab. I had heard that Portofino was very touristy. I'm wondering if the Cinque Terre or Portovenere is getting that way too. I hope not.

Deborah

Those places just ooze picturesqueness, don't they?

patriccke

Fredrik

I was not so happy about the Tuscan coast, when I was there (Massa), it had too many similarities with the feverish climate in Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice", but I just loved the Ligurian coast - both the lush, steep, small coastal towns and the rural hinterland, which seemed very rough and pristine.

Elaine

I've decided that perhaps it's time for me to buy that Mediterrean villa I've longed for, if not on the Ligurian or Tuscan coast, then in Costa Brava or Languedoc while the market's still reasonable (which leaves the Côte d'Azur out of the question). But I wonder which country has more laxed rules when it comes to international property ownership. I'm going to have to do some research... but of course, that's if those countries are willing to have me.

Deborah

Someone I work with has a favorite town in the Portofino area — Santa Margherita Ligure, which isn’t as pricey as Portofino.

Here’s a map — Sta. Margherita is just north of Portofino:

And this is the town:

Julian · Re: Portofino, Portovenere, the Cinque Terre

fab

The cote d'Azur region have been so much wanted by rich people from all over the world by buy of construct thair villas that it is now very hard for locals to be able to find a house for a reasonable price.

even in the "arriere-pays" (insideland), the prices have become overevaluated.
In my parents village since a new golf complex have been built, most of the houses have been bought by (very) rich foreign people from Netherlands, Germany, US or England in the majority. Even for a simple house or just a land the price became very high for normal persons.

Elaine, if you are rich enough (or member of the rothchild family), you could afford this one:

But most locals live in more affordable 60's often quite ugly flats as this:

Elaine

Deborah

One of my coworkers sent me this link to a video of place in Tuscany called "Il Borro" ("The Borro" on youtube.com).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qcwEtO3EJjI

She once stayed in the first house you see, after the map disappears.

(It's a hilly place, and the person taking the video starts breating pretty heavily.)

Portofino, Portovenere, the Cinque Terre

Re: Portofino, Portovenere, the Cinque Terre