Portovenere.

Following the advice of many, we head up the coast into Liguria, through the harbor city of La Spezia and out on the peninsula to the certifiably picturesque seaside village of Portovenere.

It's a bit chilly and after a short walk we park ourselves for pranzo at a quayside restaurant for a multi-course meal (not at a small price, but ranking high with Nancy as a gastronomic event). Then we're on to our trek out to the chapel/lighthouse on the point and to the fortress up on the hill. There are picture postcards in every direction, and the memory card on the Nikon fills as the magic hour passes. We get back to the car minutes before the parking pass expires and the TomTom leads us home.