Sestri Levante

This is our first time in Italy. Even as I write this, I can hardly believe it. We've had holidays all over the place and yet, Italy never came up as an option. We've now been here for over a month and I can tell you, we both feel like we've been missing out!

I had a read up on the internet before we left France, and was left dreading the fines that may, or may not arrive, some time after we have left, for parking in the wrong place, or driving in the wrong bit of town. They may yet still arrive but, if they do, I'll take the view that it was worth it.

The Sat' Nav gives me two options for our first leg in Italy from France. Toll road, 3 hours, no toll road, 9.5 hours! OK, it was going to be like that was it? Once you start through the many tunnels in Italy though, you understand the charge and, all things considered, it could have cost a lot more. All the same, I won't complain about my road tax in the UK any more. Well, not for a while anyway.

Barry & Wendy

Our first stop was a site called Fossa Lupara, at Sestri Levante. The pitches were small, and a bit scruffy but, the showers were good and they had a decent bar & restaurant. By now, we're taking the view that the sites are just somewhere safe to sleep and we are not expecting the Garden of Eden.

We got chatting to an Australian couple, Barry & Wendy, from Australia. They had bought a van over in the UK and set off for France. Now they had just returned from the Cinque Terre and filled us in about the trains and validating tickets. They were a fun couple and I liked Barry right away. I think the feeling was mutual, even after I managed to spill a full beer on him in the bar that night! (Sorry Barry!)

I want to see the owner mowing it...

I'm sure that the temptation is to head straight for the Cinque Terre but, don't overlook the town of Sestri Levante. It was right around the corner from the train station and, in my view, a better visit than some of the villages amongst the Cinque Terre, not least because it's flat, and that makes it easy to cycle around.

"Just one Cornetto.....alright, I'll leave it there..

It's a lovely place and, if you go, make sure you don't miss the Bay de Silencio.

Bay de Silencio

It's hidden around a corner and is quite a surprise. The 'Fisherman' in the picture is in the shallows of the bay, that's when you know you've found it.

After our mini tour, we headed to the train station to check if we could cycle there and lock the bikes up, when we got the train to the Cinque Terre the next day. We could, and did, and it saved us a 40 minute walk each way.

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