- Fam Trip
- Emma
A weekend exploring Cinque Terre and Grand Hotel Portovenere
We are lucky to work with some really special hotels. It is always a pleasure to share these unique properties with our travel partners.
One sunny weekend at the beginning of April, Emma travelled to Liguria and Grand Hotel Portovenere, taking six fellow travel professionals with her. Not only were the group blessed with the most idyllic weather, but they also enjoyed a guided tour of Cinque Terre by boat, on foot and by train, they savoured some excellent local seafood, trekked through the island of Palmaria to take in the breathtaking views of the Gulf of Poets and soaked up the genial atmosphere of Portovenere.
After a civilised 1 hour 20 minute lunchtime flight to Pisa, we arrived at the hotel just 2 hours after landing, just in time to freshen up and enjoy a cocktail before dinner in the hotel’s Palmaria restaurant. The restaurant is so named due to the breathtaking views of the island, just across the water from the hotel.
Grand Hotel Portovenere is a former 17th century convent: the Convent of San Francesco. Careful and sensitive restoration of the building has retained the beautiful original details of the convent including red brick ceilings and renaissance décor. The rooms are now modern, luxurious and elegant, the majority with majestic sea and village views, offering plenty of light through enormous floor to ceiling windows.
We all woke up on Saturday morning in excited anticipation, looking forward to exploring Cinque Terre; a first for us all. Breakfast is varied and excellent at Grand Hotel Portovenere and eggs are cooked to order and served by the most professional and accommodating staff.
After breakfast we met Gabi, our expert guide, in the hotel lobby and took a short stroll from the hotel the dock where we hopped on our skippered boat, Holiday Blitz. We travelled up the coast with fascinating commentary from Gabi all the way, marvelling at the unspoilt coastline, houses and villages perched on cliffside. We were stunning by the steep staircases which form the route to natives’ abodes however the view must make the burning legs worth it!
The northern-most village of the Cinque Terre, Monterosso, is the only one with a sandy shoreline that connects the modern part of the village with the old historic centre. We then started our return along the coast and docked at Vernazza.
Vernazza is centred round a charming cove, watched over by a 14th century church. Further above the village, Doria Castle, built in the 11th century overlooks the village below. Each of the villages has its own saint and church however, according to our guide, they don’t seem to get on with each other!
Wandering through the bustle of the cove, we enjoyed a quick coffee stop in true Italian style before embarking on our trek along the coastline to the next village, Corniglia.
The walk between the villages is beautiful. Constantly accompanied by the dramatic and endless views of the Liguria coastline, it is a challenge in parts but equally rewarding. A stop midway treated us to freshly squeezed lemonade which was extremely welcome and encouraged us to continue on our way. After about 1 hour and 30 minutes, we arrived in Corniglia.
This village is built on a bluff, surrounded by vineyards and cultivated terraces, reached by 377 steps if arriving by train. As we had arrived on foot however, we descended the steps to the train station but not before enjoying a very good lunch in the centre of the village.
The train goes between all the villages (and onto La Spezia) and is an option when travelling between them however we were glad to experience the journey by boat, on foot and also by train. Just 5 minutes took us to Manarola and a few minutes later we arrived in Riomaggiore, the southern-most of the Cinque Terre. The colourful façade of the houses here wind along a stream from the hills down towards the sea, creating unique views from its alleys, doorways and archways.
We found our Holiday Blitz by the dock and hopped aboard for our tranquil journey back along the coast to Portovenere. We had experienced all five of the Cinque Terre in a day, superbly guided by Gabi who understood the individual pace of us all.
After a quick freshen up at the hotel we wandered through the village to Casamare, our dining venue for the evening. Not before however walking up the steps to tthe Church of Saint Peter at the end of the town and taking in the most mesmerising sunset views at Piazza L. Spallanzani. The piazza is so called after the biologist L Spallanzani who spent a lot of time in the area in the late 18th century examining and studying the rock formations of the area.
The town falls quiet in the evening, relaxed and tranquil with just the buzz of chatter and clinking glasses from locals and the small number of tourists staying in the town.
We were ready to pack more kilometres under our belts the next day as the taxi boat took us on the short hop from Portovenere to Palmaria Island. We spent three hours walking round the island at a leisurely pace, climbing just 800 metres, compared to the 2,200 metres of elevation we achieved the before, to take in the views of the Gulf of Poets and Tino Island on the other side. The Gulf of Poets takes its name from its famous residents including DH Lawrence, Virgina Woolf, Percy Shelley and George Byron to name a few. Shelley and Byron were friends until Shelley’s death in 1822, an event which very much saddened Byron. Percy Shelley lived here with his second wife, Mary Shelley who of course was a writer herself.
The island of Palmaria was heavily populated by the military in times gone by and the buildings remain, as well as a beach club, a small hotel and restaurant and a trip of goats, all very friendly and happy to be fed.
Lunch was on board Luigi’s boat, a beautiful wooden vessel where we were served antipasti, deliciously cold local wines, fresh mussels and ravioli. We were lucky to be continually blessed with the most beautiful weather; some of us even enjoyed a swim! We also learned more about the locally grown mussels and oysters, very much a local speciality and nurtured in the gulf itself. Other specialities also include pesto, which is so much more delicious when eaten locally and focaccia. Our mooch around Portovenere, before enjoying another superb dinner at Palmaria restaurant, took us to the charming little shops of the town. There we found freshly made pesto, the most delicious gelato, small presents to take home and even the location of a cookery school.
Dinner in the hotel’s Palmaria restaurant was preceded by another cocktail in the hotel’s Venus bar. Barman Giovanni and his team are charming, experienced in making the most complicated of cocktails and always on hand to chat or recommend a favourite tipple. The food at Palmaria restaurant is very much local: simple yet delicious and elegantly served. We tried several local white Cinque Terre wines which due to the terraced vineyards are dry and aromatic, with acidity and balance. The main grapes grown in the area are Bosco, Albarola and Vermentina.
The overall feeling of Grand Hotel Portovenere is of understated luxury, where every member of staff offers attentive yet discreet service with professionalism and a friendly, family approach. It is truly the most wonderful place to stay in one of the most authentic and beautiful parts of Italy.
Thank you to the team at Grand Hotel Portovenere for the most fabulous hospitality. Thank you too to Audley Travel, Red Savannah, True Travel, Kirker Holidays and Wexas for joining us.
For further information on Grand Hotel Portovenere, do get in touch.
April 2025