Camogli - a beautiful seaside village

Met at the Camogli train station by our host Bruno, we were SO grateful he is so accomodating! After hauling our luggage up and down what seemed like hundreds of stairs at train stations since we left Nice, the thought of more stairs was the last thing we needed. He is a strong Italian gentleman so carried both our suitcases the entire way to the apartment through the hilly (and stair-filled) town of Camogli, even up the final 31 very steep, narrow and windy stairs to the apartment door! Thank you Bruno!

Jules and I are now both well and truly sick - no doubt keeping the neighbours wide awake with our coughing all night, and no doctors available for at least two days due to the public holiday. So we are seeing most of Camogli from our beautiful balcony, as it is a town full of stairs and Jules is really struggling with her asthma as well as the horrific flu we have both managed to catch, along with conjunctivitis. I have met all the pharmacists in town here (as well as several back in Nice), but until we can get some antibiotics I think we are stuck with other cold and flu tablets along with anything else they will give us without prescription. Carrying all these around means the rattling is not just from the chest anymore!!

Camogli is a beautiful fishing village on the west side of the peninsula of Portofino, in Liguria - Northern Italy. It is also a popular tourist destination, though not as crowded as the other more well known towns nearby. Our host says that his most common air bnb customers are Australians, although his most recent were from NZ. The gorgeous pebbled beach is the star attraction, and as I sit here at 4pm in the afternoon the beach is filled with those who have travelled here for the day from surrounding areas, along with a spattering of tourists.

The village has hosted a Fish Festival in the town since 1952 when it was first established in the atmosphere of optimism and economic revival of the early post war years to coincide with the feast of SAN Fortunato (the second Sunday in May). Initially the festival began with frying in 6 small pans, but now a stainless steel pan 4m in diameter combined with very large steel pans are used. According to Bruno the number of tourists for this festival is massive, so many Campglians leave town for the weekend every May.

During the day the streets are bustling with people in an out of the shops and restaurants while some sun themselves on the beach itself. Very few are brave enough to take a dip in the chilly waters at this time of the year, though.

This morning, when I ventured out to get some sun, I was delighted to discover a bookshop, filled mostly with children’s books and featuring some amazing picture books in particular. Even though I can’t read Italian I could have spent hours devouring these books - so many new to me, and others which were  translations of some of my favourites. Literacy TEs I think we need an excursion to this little bookshop!

The clock tower won’t let you sleep the afternoon away, chiming as often as every 15 mins. The 5pm and the 8am ones were very long. (I did try to record them, but somehow missed the record button unfortunately! 🙄) Not sure of the significance of these - a call to church or a call to drinks?? Thankfully the last for the evening seems to finish about 10.30pm, as we are quite close.

 

Stunning images can be captured in the late afternoon/evening as people enjoy drinks in the restaurants.

Last night we were even treated to a musician playing on his accordion for about an hour just below our apartment, as he enjoyed the afternoon breeze.

Sadly we have had to forego our planned trip today around to Portofino and Cinque Terre. We are just not up to anything other than just sitting and resting, or sleeping.

Unfortunately as we haven’t been well, we haven’t had the opportunity or desire to taste much of the food here, although I did just grab a divine fruit salad from one of the serveries just up the hill a bit as well as a cheesy zucchini pastry that was to die for - it must be a specialty of the region. It was in the focaccia store. Sorry I forgot to take photos 😕