Saturday 27th August

Today we drove from Cap D’Antibes to Levanto a distance of about 300kms and it took us about 4.5 hours. Today was really tunnels and viaducts. We didn’t count the viaducts but we did go through 219 tunnels. The shortest was 75m the longest we think was 3212m. There were lots and lots of them. In fact it made the reading of the map very difficult as sometimes we were only out in the sun for as little as 20 seconds.

We weren’t on the road long before a forced stop for petrol and an Italian map book as Jannie wasn’t happy with the fold out ones we had as there were no details of exits from the motorways etc. As it happened we stopped just short of the French/Italian border. We were very high up and we looked down on the city of Monaco. Took some photos and then hit the road and into Italy. First thing we noticed was that the road signs got hard to read and there was not much notice at offramps. In fact because of the tunnels Jannie sometimes thought that the next turn off was in the tunnel. Anyway the long and the short of it was I suddenly saw the sign to Levanto just as Jannie was trying to look at the map. Off I went from 100kms to 40kms, as the turnoffs are quite short and sharp, in about 100m. You can imagine Jannie at this stage?? Round the corner and there was the toll booth in the middle of nowhere. We paid our €22.60 and started off along this one lane road. We were high up, maybe 1000m and occasionally we could see the sea. Levanto is on the coast and our apartment is meant to be 100m from the beach.

We obviously got off on some back cross country road but we eventually got into Levanto. The streets didn’t get any wider in the town and all but the main road in are one way roads. Next we couldn’t find a park anywhere. We parked in a park for residents and went to find the Land Agent who was renting us the apartment. No names on any streets makes it difficult and not knowing any Italian doubly difficult. But interpreter Jannie got us by. They have a system that I’m not sure I would ever understand with their streets. The address we were looking for was Via Dante Alighieri. Now we could see it on the map but when we walked along it and found number 11 it was an apartment!! Down in the next block the numbering started from 1 again and we found our Land Agent at number 11. When we asked Nynke about it she said that the other number 11 was via somewhere else?? I ask you!

She took us to our apartment, along the sea front, up a driveway, onto the roughest, narrowest pathway I have ever had to drive a vehicle on and off to the left is a dropoff into a creek that has no water in it. Up 38 stairs and 100 steps to our lovely apartment – we both took two trips and the bags seem to be getting heavier. Mossies maybe a problem tonight as Jannie has already had a visit from one.

Between the time we arrived in Levanto until we got to the apartment we had a couple of hours to kill as her hours are 9.00am-12.30pm - then 4.00pm-7.00pm. Some of the shops are like that too. Anyway digressing a bit we walked along the beachfront. The sand and gravel is black – same a Muriwai. The surf was huge and a couple of times the deckchairs and umbrellas were deluged by tidal flow from the big seas. What a scramble for the folks in the chairs that was. I wonder if they got their money back? I said that if this is the state of the sea at Levanto I for one won’t be swimming here and I don’t mind the surf. We also went to the information centre and got a screed of literature about Levanto and the Cinque Terre.

We went to the supermarket – out of town - by car as the ones in town don’t have any parking. We had a light tea and finished off the Chateauneuf du Pape. Bed won’t be too far away tonight as we are both pooped. Had a quick look at the television but couldn’t find an English speaking channel. Looks like book reading will be the thing again here.