“You may have the universe if I may have Italy” 

I did it: last week I ran away from my office and I took the first train to Liguria to escape from stress and constant rain. After weeks of awful weather and too much work, who wouldn't have?

From Pisa, where I live, the trip is short and affordable. Since my friend had never been in the city, I took the initiative to buy a giant purple umbrella and take him to explore it under the pouring rain. It was amazing. But, after getting completely soaking wet from head to toes, we decided it was time to go somewhere more lively and appealing, so why not Portovenere?

I guess the Universe was quite happy with our decision, since from the moment we left La Spezia on this small shuttle bus, the sky started to clear up. The more we got closer to our destination, the bluer it became and the dark clouds turned white and started dissolving, allowing us to enjoy one of the best views we have ever laid eyes on. 

It was only a few minutes by bus from the city center and since I had always been there at night time, I was excited to have the oportunity to visit it in the daylight.

We had a plan: we wanted to climb every staircase and every hill of the town to get to the best view possible over that amazing sea. In fact, Portovenere is built on different levels and terraces, which give as many different views on the landscape, leaving you always wandering what you would be able to see just going a little highter up.

The first level we encountered was a terrace over "Grotta Byron", from which allegedly Lor Byron dove into the sea and swam into the grotto.

Sitting on the nearest rock to the sea and just enjoying the colors, the sounds of the waves breaking on the cliff and the chant of the seagulls and the smell of salt in the air, is kind of mystical experience. All your senses are "cuddled" and you cannot feel but at peace with the world.

The second stop was the little church that dominates the isthmus at the end of the town. Its doors was such a work of art that I spent at least ten minutes just looking at it, and inside it was no less so.

On and on we went up the hills and the beauty weren't willing to stop amazing us. 

Balconies, windows, ancient walls guiding up along the trail and more churches, more little squares full of trees to give you shelter from the sun. 

 And then... something absolutely stunning.

A landscape so bright, so perfect. Something out of a watercolour painting, or the setting of a Miyazaki movie. This view was almost painted in front of our eyes. And we stared.

It was worth every step of the way and every raindrop that fell on us while we were trying to get there and we were ready to go down to the center of the town and just breathe out and relax, submerging ourselves in different colors and sounds. The carrugis, as the narrow streets going up and down Liguria's towns are called, were an explosion of colors, life and smell of freshly baked focaccia (or Fugassa, as it's called here) and we got to enjoy some of that too.

Time to say goodbye to Portovenere, but without sadness or melancholy. 

I know, I won't be a stranger.

Arrivederci.