Mercoledi and a mid-week Respite

The time has come again to write about another day in the Bogliasco adventure.....sometimes this documentation is easy, and sometimes it is a challenge.  Discipline in general comes and goes in this style of life, which is why it is such a pleasant change here.  The challenge with the blog is that it is somewhat demanding in its own simple way.......and does not go away!  The recounting of the day can be easy or it can be a bit tedious.  In the end, or even three months from now......the experience will have meshed into the flow of our memories.  Whether the 'sitting down at the computer' was easy or not will fade into the background.  It will be fun to have the recording of our experience.  It is a bit like physical exercise.  You may not look forward to it, but you know it is probably good for you!

The morning outside our wooden window shutters presented us with another beautiful, sunny day.  The use of these shutters is actually quite practical.  They keep most of the light out, but allow the air to move through during the night.  Also, the subject of several Bogliasco stories, is the added benefit of keeping the bats out of our room!

The morning was slow-paced.  We had breakfast at around 8:30 and retreated back upstairs to the studio........time for some painting and another water sport......the laundry!  With this business in hand we headed out on a short trip up the hillside to San Bernardo.  We had been here before on the last trip but could not remember the details.  We also wanted to check out a supposedly 'good' restaurant there.  This remote village is very small and almost entirely residential.  There is only the one restaurant and literally nothing else other than a small church.  The views are amazing and the road quite challenging!

Out of necessity, the roads meander back and forth up through the watersheds that come down from the mountains.  The hillsides themselves are marginally navigable. 

On the way back to the village of Bogliasco we took a bit of a shortcut.  We had done this on the last trip and ran into a 20 minutes delay getting over the railroad tracks.  Guess what......? only 10 minutes this time.  So much for the shortcut!

The day was another in a long string of totally beautiful, sunny days.  We have been so fortunate!  The forecast for tomorrow looks like clouds moving in so we are taking advantage of today's weather.

The picture above is a view down into the harbor and beach area of Bogliasco from the coast to the south of town.  We were connecting through this part of Bogliasco because we went shopping at Basko, the local supermarket.  

The pictures below are of the front terrace at the Villa.  The dining room opens onto one side of this terrace and makes eating outdoors a simple task.

The picture above is a view looking south from one of our windows.  In the distance (to the right) you can see the Portofino Promontory.  Halfway up this vista there is a town called San Rocco.  It is sleepy and well off the beaten track, except for the hikers that tackle the 4 hour walk around the full peninsula.  

We have gone here 3 or 4 times, as there is an amazing bar, Dai Marguetti, that is literally built into the rock face along the hiking trail.  It is a favorite with locals, who come here to watch the sunset.  It is nothing short of magical when the weather is nice.  Given the weather today, we decided to make the trip.  Arriving in San Rocco, there is a wonderful view back up the coast towards Bogliasco.  When you walk about 10 minutes around the point, however, the landscape changes dramatically..........all you see is the Ligurian Sea.  Initially we were the only ones there.  It was a great afternoon for prosecco!

 Things are getting very active at the Villa.  Thursday (tomorrow) is the day of a large Poetry Festival held in the gardens at the Villa dei Pini.  Everyone is hoping that it will not rain.......as 150 people have been invited.  Writers and musicians from the U.S. and several european countries have been invited.  New guests have arrived and all the rooms and apartments have been filled, including space in the small hotel across the street.

Dinner is up to a maximum capacity for the dining room, and an additional table has been brought in.  After dinner coffee and drinks have been moved from the small lobby/lounge into the formal living room.  It is actually quite exciting and fun to meet the new guests.  

Andrea was not really on her phone here.......

she was looking at Margie's pictures from their visit to the Genovese City Cemetery earlier in the afternoon!