Italy summer '09
#21
11-07-2009, 03:38 PM
Whats funny, I compared Taxi fares with the Shuttle boat because we were 11 and the Maserati doesnt fit us obviously. Taxi 60 euros 10 minute ride to Portofino. Boat 4.5 euros haha
one of the coolest views, was the terrace at the splendidio @ portofino ! truly magneficent
Last edited by MeanMachine; 11-07-2009 at 03:42 PM.
#26
11-08-2009, 08:44 AM
There's a hiking trail directly along the coast in the Cinque Terra which links the 5 or 6 villages in the area. In total (guessing here) it's ~30 km. We walked from Monterosso to Vernazza and took the train back to Vernazza (there's a huge parking lot down at the beach in Monterosso but you can't reach Vernazza by car). The views from the trail are spectacular but if you're ever going to walk it; wear proper shoes. We passed a lot of Americans on the way and 8 out of 10 were on flipflops, which is really not such a great idea because in Italy there's no such thing as 'health and safety regulations' so if you drop down, yer farked. The cliffs are really steep in some places and to complete the fun the trail usually narrows a lot exactly in those places where you can look straight down to the sea 200 meters below you. Oh and bring plenty of water because it gets hot.
The trail descends to Vernazza
Where the streets are really narrow and dark (lot of shadows/highlight PS'ing going on here).
And on those streets you can buy gems like this:
To top it of possibly the most cliché composition in photography. View from the harbour.
The trail descends to Vernazza
Where the streets are really narrow and dark (lot of shadows/highlight PS'ing going on here).
And on those streets you can buy gems like this:
To top it of possibly the most cliché composition in photography. View from the harbour.
#28
11-08-2009, 10:34 AM
Lago di Como is shaped like an inverted 'Y' with Bellagio located right at the tip where lake splits into two. The south eastern leg is called Lago di Lecco but essentially it is all one big lake. Bellagio is beautiful and the drive along the lake to Bellagio is stunning if you take the SS 538. In Bellagio you can board a ferry by car or foot, which (slowly) criss crosses the lake stopping at all the different towns.
At the south western end of the lake is the city of Como itself which is quite nice and you could charter a water plane here to fly around the area. Prices shouldn't be too steep. You can also take the SS 340 here and head north. Just outside Como is a small town called Cernobbio which is home to the Villa d'Este. The Villa d'Este is a worldclass hotel/resort where some of the best events related to stuff like art and cars are held throughout the year. They host a very exclusive concours d'elegance in the springtime.
Outside Cernobbio you can pass the homes of George Bush sr., Bill Gates and George Clooney to name a few if you continue heading north. But I'm somehow guessing that's not really your kind of thing.
There's a small road which runs parallel to the SS 340 and from time to time converges back into the SS 340, if you take that road you'll be even closer down to the shoreline.
Cinque Terra is a 2 hour drive south from Milan, definitely check out the Portofino and it's peninsula. If you want to stay the night there it's probably most convenient to pick a hotel in St. Margherita (which is what we usually do).
If you have a nice car and time to spare it's also worth checking out some of the mountain passes in the Alps. Make sure they're not closed due to snow if you're going in the spring or you might be in for a bit of a dissapointment.
Last edited by 4Wheels; 11-08-2009 at 10:45 AM.
#29
11-08-2009, 10:43 AM
We took the Gotthard pass north this year. Which isn't all that great for sheer driving fun.
But you do get views like this:
Search on youtube for the Top Gear special on the greatest driving road, they founds some epic roads.
But you do get views like this:
Search on youtube for the Top Gear special on the greatest driving road, they founds some epic roads.
