We went to school just like normal and then mid-day they told us that we had a field trip right after school! So after the school day ended around 1, we all rushed back to the hotel, grabbing some foccacia on our way back, changed shoes, and headed to the train station. We took a short train ride to Portofino and Santa Margherita.
GORGEOUS!!! I love towns on the water. Portofino is like the rich, expensive town on the Riveria. It's really small and exclusive with just a handful of houses spread from the edge of the water up into the mountains (because like every where else here on the Riveria, the mountains meet the sea!). Dolce and Gabbana have a house there!!! Their house looks like an ancient CASTLE! It was really cool. Down on the coast, there was a little port with fishing boats and brightly colored houses and cafes. If you looked across the little port, you could see across the bigger harbor to the other side, white fluffy clouds covered snow peaked mountains, which led to bright yellow towns that lined the aqua blue sea. We walked up into the hills, passing huge houses with 50+ steps and intricate gates at the foot of the properties. The paths were ivy-lined and cobblestoned, giving glimpses of the blue Sea to one side, the bright sky above, and deep breathes of plants, herbs, oranges and mint.
The houses in Portofino, Santa Margherita, Genoa, and many of the towns in the Liguria Region of Italy having interesting decorations on the outsides. When they were built in the ancient times, it was very expensive to use real blocks of stone to build the homes with. So instead, the houses are PAINTED to LOOK like they are built with large stones! So all of the buildings have these three-dimensional designs to them that look like large bricks of stone were used but up close, it is just paintings! And also, many of the homes have FAKE WINDOWS! They are just paintings on the building but they are right next to real windows! It is really amusing and interesting and pretty.
So anyway, back in Portofino, we walked through the paths and made our way to the Faro, or the lighthouse. The lighthouse looked out over the water and, as Kel Bel said, you could look out into infinity! It really did look like it went on forever! It was really spectacular :-)
After we got back to Genoa, we relaxed, did some homework and studying, and went out to dinner. We went to this place called Via Frugolini 49 (or something like that), which we had already TRIED to find 3 times! Twice we got lost and the third time we found it but it was closed! So we went a fourth time and it was finally open! It was a really nice, classy place. I finally tried Minestrone alla Genovese (they put pesto in it because Genoa is known for its pesto) (By the way, if I haven't explained yet, Genoa is called Genoa in English but in Italian it is Genova!)
After dinner, we came back to the hotel and crashed. Long day!
Leave me some comments on my blog so I know who, if anyone, is reading it! :-)
Buonanotte! (Goodnight!)
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