Portovenere… the 6th Cinque Terre

The town of Portovenere is known as the sixth town of the Cinque Terre.  It is further south and accessible by car or boat from La Spezia.

We have passed through La Spezia many times and only ever saw the train station. Today we leave the station and navigate the streets to the port (so who knew

 La Spezia was such a major port?). Large Cargo/shipping fleets, Naval ships (David’s brother Steve had shared with us he had been in La Spezia on a port of call while he was in the Navy on the USS Peterson), no cruise ships today, but tomorrow they will dock here.  La Spezia is a city with a mix of streets of San Francisco and hillside homes like Riomaggiore.  It was a beautiful sight with the mountains in the background and the waterway ahead.  The anxiety of negotiating the ticket lines with so many boats going so many places adds to the thrill. Finally we board the smaller ferry and we are off to Portovenere.

The name is believed to date back to the temple to Venus in  the 1st century B.C. Another origin of the name comes from St Veneris, who is the patron saint of lighthouse keepers in Italy. The site of Venus’s temple now holds the Church of San Pietro which stands guard over the port. There is a wave of political dominance in this town from the collapse of the Roman Empire, to the rise of the Byzantines, to the invasion of the French, etc. Each influence is seen in the various churches, fortresses, or archways.

The church of San Pietro sits high atop the edge of town. Across are the islands of Tino, and Palmaria , and Tinetto.  On the other side is the Grotto of Lord Byron. It is beautiful inlet where many are swimming off the rocks. It is renown as the bay of poets recounted as the place Lord Byron swam across to visit his friend and fellow poet Shelley. On one side of the church is the port bustling with boat traffic. Little boats for rent or sightseeing, yachts for the Uber rich, sailing ships and so on. A small area is cordoned off for swimming off the breakwater. On the other not visible except through arched openings in the wall is the soaring cliffs with the crystal water below.

First we walk the town. The main street is tucked up on a hill behind a row of houses and stairways.We browse some of the shops and then round the corner to find a MG car show! The roadway is lined with beautiful classic cars. Shiny red, green,  black MGs . The crowd  admires the autos. We begin chatting with a couple visiting from N. C.  Rita was born in La Spezia and was back visiting after 52 years away.  We shared travel itineraries and driving stories.  We snapped pics of the cars to send home to see if one resembles the MG  our son -in-law is restoring,  we have a lunch by the pier then on swim in Lord Byron’s grotto.

As in Cinque Terre, the water is refreshing and clear. As we swim boats drop a group of scuba divers and we imagine what the might be looking at down below. Another beautiful day here in Italy.