Santa Margherita Ligure

Panorama at Santa Margherita Ligure

Santa Margherita waterfront

Santa Margherita Ligure in the province of Genoa is one of the most picturesque places I have ever seen. I couldn't decide what photo to post first. Anyway, no photograph will really convey the feeling you get when you arrive in a place like this. We arrived by bus, then were taken by boat to Portofino. I loved Portofino. Everybody must love Portofino. What's not to love. It is small and chic and very famous. But what I loved about its neighbor, Santa Margherita Ligure, is that it is a town. When dusk comes, it doesn't close down. It is a place where people live and children go to school, where the wife of the local policeman makes his lunch to take to the station, where the old people pray at the local Cathedral. It is a real place, not just a tourist place. 

Typical house colors in Ligure

Don't get me wrong. I love tourist places. They are good for a day or two, but Santa Margherita Ligure is somewhere I would love to return. I would love to stay in one of their hotels and wander the streets and have cappuccinos. I would love to eat at their restaurants and take a stroll along the sea front. I want to visit the Churches and Cathedrals. It is a place I would love to go back and spend some time. More information on this lovely place can be found  here.

Last but not least, I am fascinated by the people from Africa who live in Italy and other Western European countries. They spend a lot of time with a rolled blanket or sheet, with knock-off sunglasses and souvenirs inside. Out their wares come on the sidewalk, then they feel police presence, everything is rolled up and they run off. Police pass and ten minutes later they are back. Some of their knock-offs are quite good too!

Local street vendor 

it almost feels like a game between these gents and the local police. They seem to tolerate each other!