I had a lazy, lazy weekend. I scrambled to put together plans to go to Florence, but found myself reading beneath the olive trees instead. I’m currently reading “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood after both the new TV series and book were suggested to me. I’ve been trying to fill the hole in my heart left behind by the Game of Thrones series, so if anyone has any reading suggestions I’m all ears.

Since Saturday was so lazy, I decided to head up to Porto Venere for Sunday. Porto Venere is a bustling and touristic coastal town in La Spezia.

Porto Venere is quite small, but it is full of color, life, and cats! I saw cats snoozing and lurking in almost every corner.

 

I spent the afternoon walking around the different shops and checking out the sights. Despite its size, the town still boasts two churches: St. Peter’s and St. Lawrence–Italians and their churches, am I right?

There is also the Doria Castle, whose walls encircle the historic center.

I relaxed by The Byrons’ Cave or Grotto, which is the area that inspired the English poet Lord Byron. After a bit of reading and snacking on some sandwiches that my wonderful host mother packed me, I continued to explore the town.

The day turned cloudy, so I snagged a quick, but delicious spritz, and then headed back to Ameglia for dinner with the family.

Like I said, Porto Venere is a touristy area, but you can still see loads of Italian teenagers sunbathing by the water and native shop keepers hanging about outside. The grotto was a nice area to swim in especially if you have a a snorkel and a boat. I’d recommend stopping there and maybe taking a ferry out to the nearby islands of Palmaria, Tino, and Tinetto or just enjoying the sun with a drink.