#3 - Italian Riviera

From Pisa, we went on to beautiful Santa Margherita Ligure on the Portofino Peninsula. Christopher Columbus is often celebrated in this region, and here he points west.

St. Margaret of Antioch, the patroness of the town, offers a blessing to all those venturing out to sea.

We took this boat over to Portofino.

Portofino: each of these Riviera towns somehow seemed more lovely than the last.

Back in Santa Margherita, where we stayed for the next three days: the Basilica of St. Margaret.

On the piazza outside the basilica. We stopped a couple times for coffee and tea at the Piccolo Bar, and enjoyed chatting with the owner, Manny. He had lived in Texas for 30 years and so spoke English with only a slight Italian accent flavored by a Southwestern drawl.

We took the train to visit two of the five towns of the Cinque Terre. This is Vernazza

St. Margaret is also the patroness of Vernazza. Here she is shown conquering Satan, in the form of a dragon, and bearing the palm of martyrdom.

Vernazza experienced a devastating flood in 2011, and much of the repair work is still underway.

Poster telling of the deluge.

Then we moved on to Manarola.

The next day in Genoa our group visited the Galata Museo Del Mare, dedicated to the rich history of the city as a major port, and especially as the point of departure for so many Italian immigrants.

Although New York was the most common destination, there were others in the US and many in Latin America

Marina at Genoa.

Then we took a walk through the market area.

Garibaldi monument.

We had lunch at this charming place, the Vittorio, including the specialty advertised on their sign, a fantastic cheesy variation on focaccia.

The staff demonstrates that their seafood is indeed fresh.