Portovenere - Lerici

from what i understand the ferries do not run when we are there -- i can't imagine that, but i can't find anything other than one website (maritime schedule) that shows ferries do not run after september 8. what a bummer as that is how we wanted to get around quite a bit of the time. thank you !

Dianne, Portovenere looks like a 6th Cinque Terre town. Lots of places to have a nice lunch. We've done that. Not as many shops, however. We took the ferry down from Monterosso, had lunch and returned to Monterosso on a later ferry. Or, you can take the bus in to Portovenere from La Spezia. Lerici is a more upscale Riviera-type town across from Portovenere. You can also get there by bus from La Spezia or possibly the ferry which connects Portovenere and Lerici during the high season. Lerici could be worth most of a day to visit.

Dianne, As mentioned, Porto Venere is somewhat like another Cinque Terre town, although a bit more "posh". There will probably be a few Yachts in the harbour during your visit. There are lots of small alleys with shops and restaurants uphill from the harbour, and as I recall an old Castle or something at the entrance to the harbour that can be visited. The restaurants surrounding the harbour provide a nice ambience (mostly seafood of course), but I found the quality of the food and service at the place I visited to be somewhat "mediocre". There are also three small islands that can be accessed from Porto Venere - Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto. On a day trip, you'll probably only have time for Palmaria. I'm not sure if the boats quit operating on 8 September? Perhaps they'll post a new schedule after that date? If the boats aren't available, you'll have to travel by train to La Spezia and then Bus (details in the Guidebook). I haven't visited Lerici, but you should be able to see both if the boats are running. If using train and Bus that will be more difficult. Happy travels!

Diane, please note that the ferries do not run when the seas get a bit rough. I don't know how rough but we had to wait until the 3rd day of our visit to get on the ferry from Monterosso to Portovenere. They did not run the other two despite the very nice weather and what looked like fairly calm waters.

I thank you all for your time :)