![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/helicopters-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/submarine-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI tried to make a reservation for a helicopter or a submarine, but I couldn’t find any tickets J. So I chose the only means of transportation I could get to Portovenere on, leaving the Cinque Terre: the boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/riomaggiore-by-the-sea-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI got on the boat from Riomaggiore, where I had accommodation. And go, cabman\u2026 sorry, Captain!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/boat-interior_fall-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI went around the area by boat in summer and in autumn. The surprise of autumn is great! After the hustle and bustle of the summer, with an awfully full boat, autumn is a luxury, with only a few passengers on board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/liguria_me_summer-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>summer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/liguria_me_fall-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>fall<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n When I first set off for Portovenere, “for lack of anything else”, I had no expectations. Maybe that’s why the surprise was so great! It was such a big surprise, that I went back to see the town on my next vacation in Liguria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-pietro-church-portovenere_3-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat’s left of a castle, plus a brave church (considering where it’s perched) \u2013 these are the first images that appear, before entering the port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PORTOVENERE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-habour-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAs we turned the corner (of the rock\u2026), all the people on the boat, as if on command, made various sounds of amazement, as if we all spoke the same language: the language of those left speechless\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-buildings-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn front of us appeared a series of colorful, tall and narrow houses, piled on top of each other, as if intentionally placed incorrectly by the human hand like in a thrilling jenga game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere_me-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThese colorful houses seem to have a magical effect. I stopped in the port and took a lot of photos, regretting that I didn’t have the slightest talent for drawing, because I could have lost a few hours here, with the drawing block in my lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-entrance_me-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-street-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhenever\nyou come, in summer or during autumn, once you enter the city gates, you notice\nthe advantage of the crowded buildings: you have good protection against strong\nsun or wind and I suspect that in winter you are protected against the blizzards,\nif they have heard of such a thing here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nmain street, called Via Capellini, a narrow and long street that takes you to\nthe other gate of the city, is full of life, full of souvenir shops, clothes or\nlocal products, but also with restaurants, bars and grocery stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-stairs-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom place to place you come across narrow streets that take you to the top of the hill, but also steep stairs that take you down to the port. I think it’s best to be on the stairs when you go down J.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PORTOVENERE BEACH<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-beach_1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBeach?\nWhat beach? There is no beach. There are some rocks that go down to the sea,\nnot at all user friendly, but which, what do you know, are fully occupied by\npeople, without any problem! People spread their towels on a rock and enjoy the\nsun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, I have\nno idea how many of them are tourists. I don’t worry about the locals, as I’m\nconvinced that they already are used after so many years of beach on these\nrocks\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-beach_2-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>summer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-beach_fall-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a>fall<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n In the\nfall, there\u2019s no bottom on these stones J. Although the\nweather is wonderful at the end of October! I think, however, that the locals\nhave already taken their share of the sun, all summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However,\nI am impressed to notice a swimmer in the water. He makes pretty long laps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere_swimmer-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHe’s\nthe seller of a store where I bought some shoes. He told me that I could leave\nthem with him while I walked around the city, not to carry them with me,\n“but be aware that I close for two hours at noon. I’m going to swim in the\nsea”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And\u2026\nhere he is!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cool,\nright? He told me that in recent years he has managed to swim until November,\ndue to the friendly weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\ntruth is that it is unexpectedly hot for the end of October. So hot that an Asian\nuncle sells sun hats in port:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-hat-seller-576x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBut\nlet’s go back to summer and the beach!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond\nthe strip of stones in the port, I discover a unique place very good for\nsunbathing. A place where you get if you have strong legs, because you take it\nbehind the walls of the fortress and you have to go down among the boulders, on\nsome steps carved in the rock, you have to be careful where you put your foot,\nwhile holding on to some cables. If all this goes well, you can put your towel\non the stones left unoccupied. No reservation is needed J.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-beach_1-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-beach_2-1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhile I was taking pictures, people came constantly. It seems this is kind of a better “quality” beach. It’s just that you have nowhere to stick an umbrella\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\/Users\/dana.mladin\/Desktop\/5](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere_jumpers-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nMany young people take advantage of the high and steep cliffs in the area, which they climb with an enviable dexterity and then they jump into the sea, in all imaginable positions!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/grotta-byron_me-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/grotta-byron-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHere is\na good place to see Grotta Byron<\/strong>\n(visible in my selfie too), which is said to have been a place of inspiration\nfor the English poet Byron<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The man was an excellent swimmer, he came here and lay around until he got some good ideas\u2026 In addition, he had a fantastic courage: it is said that he defied the waves of the sea by swimming from here, from Portovenere, 8 kilometres to Lerici.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/nasello-commemorative-plaque-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThere is also another swimmer \u2013 a local star, in memory of whom the people here made a stone slab. “Nasello” jumped off these rocks into the sea without any worries. And he lived happily ever after…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/mother-nature-sculpture_portovenere-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn case\nyou didn’t know how to find Mother Nature, the search is over: she’s here! I\ncame across her when I went down the rocks to the water. This woman must be\nenvied for the most beautiful view anyone can have here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\ndon’t have the time, desire or\u2026 a swimsuit to sit on the beach, go for a walk\non the quays. The place is really relaxing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calata Promenade<\/strong> is\nfull of seafood restaurants and a few souvenir shops, so you have things to do\nhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/water-polo_1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd you\ncan admire the local polo players, who may be fighting for a crate of beer\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If\nyou’re lucky, you can see a real parade of old cars, next to which everyone takes\npictures to brag in front of friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/vintage-car_1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/vintage-car_2-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/vintage-car_3-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/vintage-car_4-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/vintage-car_5-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/vintage-car_6-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/vintage-car_7-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/vintage-car_8-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/vintage-car_9-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI’m not a big fan of cars, but believe me, I sat here a lot admiring these jewels, looking at the details, wondering what it was like to drive something like that. And, in fact, what it is<\/strong> like to drive something like this, because some took good care of them, to be able to drive them into the 21st century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WHAT TO EAT IN PORTOVENERE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I didn’t stop long in town, but my stomach kept screaming for some food at lunchtime\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/focacceria-497x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis\nfocaccia house with curtains made of pasta is right on the main street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Man, as\nsoon as I went in, my mouth watered!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/focaccia_2-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/focaccia_3-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/focaccia_1-1024x497.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThey\nhave so many kinds of focaccia, with whatever you may think of, and I, unbelievably,\ntook the simplest one possible: the one with olive oil. It is sublime!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But my\nplan was a good one, you know. A few houses further, I discovered the best\npesto I’ve ever eaten! Do you know what it’s like to lick your fingers? That’s\nwhat I did when I tasted it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/pesto-di-bajeico-1024x497.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nProduced\nby locals, sold at an affordable price, this basil sauce inspired me to make\nthe ideal combination: focaccia with olive oil on which I poured plenty of\npesto. God, a complete wonder!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Believe\nit or not, but one of the reasons I came to Portovenere a second time was to\nbuy a\u2026 truck of this sauce! Well, I bought 6 jars.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/sea-fruit-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou can\neasily find other types of packaged street food here. Seafood is a safe\ncommodity, given where we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At one\nof the lunches I had here, I gave up the food “to go” and I preferred\nto sit at a restaurant, found on the internet and rated among the most\nappreciated ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portivene-un-mare-di-sapori-1-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt was\ndifficult for me to photograph the whole terrace of the Portivene un mare di sapori<\/strong> restaurant, because the 4 tables on the\nsidewalk were practically in the way of passers-by. And I was practically glued\nto the wall of the houses opposite J.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not to\ntell you that I didn’t fit in the chair. Like the other table neighbors, I\nspread my legs in the street\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But\nthis is not about luxury, increased comfort and putting airs, but about the\ncool, holiday atmosphere and about good food!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portivene-un-mare-di-sapori-2-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI took the catch of the day, with the local pasta and it turned out to be an excellent choice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SAN PIETRO CHURCH PORTOVENERE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-pietro-church-portovenere_1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWith a\nfull stomach, instead of a nap, I go up to the church I saw from the boat,\ncoming here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is\nthe Roman Catholic church of San Pietro<\/strong>,\nbuilt on an old pagan temple on the promontory, in 1277!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-pietro-church-portovenere_summer_me-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>summer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-pietro-church-portovenere_fall_me-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>fall<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n In\nsummer, being extremely hot, any step up the hill is a damn torment! And when a\nlot of steps also appear in front of you, you almost want to turn away and give\nup\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In autumn\nit is more pleasant. Only the weight of your own body bothers you J.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now,\nseriously, there’s nothing hard on this road to church. A little climb, that’s\nall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-pietro-portovenere-576x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nIt’s\nworth stopping by for a moment \u2013 it’s cool, it’s quiet, you can light a candle\nand you can sit alone with your thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nascent to here is rewarded, because, once you reach the door of the church, you\nhave a breathtaking view!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-sea-view_1-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a>summer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-sea-view_5-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>fall<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Even if in the summer you feel faint from the heat, even if you are all covered in sweat and you regret every fork of delicious food that you put in your mouth, it is worth going up a few more steps to the arched balcony of the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-sea-view_me-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nYou\nhave a completely different view, the horizon opens before your eyes and you\nfeel like the Lord of the Sea!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I could\nsay that it is the perfect place to throw away all your fears, sufferings and\nregrets over the “board”. Well, I started to philosophize, but\nliterally this place is fabulous!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-sea-view_balcony_1-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a>summer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-sea-view_balcony_2-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>fall<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n I stayed here for a while, in the wind, I watched some boys jumping into the water, from the rocks, I counted the rich people who move their yachts on the sea J, then I decided to write a book of poems. Ha-ha-ha, I’m kidding, but, seriously, I can understand why this place is called the Gulf of Poets<\/strong> and why many writers came here to find inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-window_me-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/a>fall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Now,\nreally, look at the “window” I found. I only need a house built\naround it and I’m moving here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s the picture taken at the end of October, when I went up again to the church on the rock, then, encouraged by the weather, I decided to go up to the top of the hill (in summer I’d rather drop dead than go up there\u2026 )<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/grotta-byron_doria-castle_portovenere-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-lorenzo-church-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>San Lorenzo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n “It’s\nhard to go up the hill with small oxen”, as the Romanians say. And I don’t\neven know what I’m going to find up there. I saw from the boat the ruins of the\nDoria Castle<\/strong>, built by the Genovese\nin 1161 (the picture also shows the Byron cave), but I don’t know anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the\nway up I reach the church of San Lorenzo<\/strong>.\nIt is closed. Above is the Castle, where you have to buy a ticket (5 euros) to\nenter. To enter where? I see I’m going in\u2026 outside! You don’t have much to see \u2013\nsome rooms, a garden, BUT is worth all the money for the view over the bay!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-sea-view_2-1024x497.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI watch the scenery in awe, as if I were looking at an ultra-processed photo. Well, it’s 100% reality. “No filter”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/san-pietro-church-portovenere_seen-from-above-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI admire the church of San Pietro from here too, I look at the island opposite and I remember that in summer I booked a tour well sold by those in the port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TOUR OF THE 3 ISLANDS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
“Giro\ndelle 3 isole” \u2013 I see the poster on a booth selling tickets. I take 12\neuros out of my pocket and board a boat, along with other tourists, for a\n40-minute tour around the 3 islands near Portovenere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We see\nthe first one \u2013 Palmaria<\/strong> \u2013 at the\nbeginning and at the end, because it is the largest and the closest to\nPortovenere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It forms\na protective barrier for the natural port of Portovenere. I understand that a\nwalk on it would be really pleasant. It has a fortress, a fort and two\nvillages. And very interesting walking paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also\nhear about the prehistoric Pigeon Cave \u2013 inhabited in the Ice Age by cave\npeople \u2013 discovered in 1869.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I decide\nthat, on a future visit, when I stay here longer, I will also visit Palmaria.\nEspecially since there are frequent crossings by boat from Portovenere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-three-island-tour_1-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nOn our way to the other two islands we pass Torre Scuola<\/strong>. I don’t remember why they call it that\u2026 Probably because they give a boat pass around here J).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-three-island-tour_4-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAt\nfirst glance, the marble quarry on our way doesn’t tell me anything. We are\nhowever lucky with the guide, from whom we learn something: this marble, black and\ngolden, is the most expensive! Even more expensive than the famous Carrara\nmarble!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tino<\/strong> \u2013 the middle\nisland (both in size and position) has on its northern coast the ruins of a\nmonastery, probably built in the 11th century on the site of an old altar from\nthe 7th century. This would be the place where Saint Venerius<\/strong> died \u2013 born on Palmaria and retired here as a hermit\nin the last years of his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nisland, which is part of a military zone, is open only one day a year \u2013\nSeptember 13 \u2013 when the Saint is commemorated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\nare many stories we hear on the boat, but I selectively remember them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.danamladin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/portovenere-three-island-tour_10-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nI find\nout, for example, that sequences from “The\nGuns of Navarone”<\/strong> were filmed on this island (1961 \u2013 the one with\nGregory Peck, Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, David Niven etc). Old people like me surely\nremember the movie\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are shown the constructions that where the set for the Hollywood movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n