Rome Waldensian Church

Singing is an important part of the Waldensian church service, so it is natural that Chiesa Evangelica Valdese is a venue for classical music in Rome. At the Great Opera meets Ballet in Rome you can enjoy wonderful lyrical singers, a couple of classical dancers and a famous quartet performing much loved works from opera and ballet.

Music and Ballet in Rome

Because of their good acoustics, churches are great venues for classical music performances.  At the Great Opera meets Ballet in Rome concert, a Chamber Ensemble with oboe, strings and piano, will delight music lovers with the most magical moments of opera and ballet. Music from popular operas such as Rigoletto, La Traviata, Carmen, Madam Butterfly, The Marriage of Figaro and others will be performed by the refined and masterful voices of the soprano, tenor, and baritone. What’s more you will be entertained by the splendid choreography of two dancers from the Academy of Lyric and Dance in Rome.

About the Waldensian Church

There are two Waldensian churches in Rome: the Chiesa Evangelica Valdese on Via IV Novembre, an ancient and historical street at which this concert is performed, and the other in Piazza Cavour connected to the Waldensian Faculty of Theology. Waldensianism is Protestant in denomination and their faithful are called Waldenses.

The current Waldensian of Christianity was born in the Middle Ages , specifically in the twelfth century , as a religious movement, made up of farmers and typically poor, such as the one promoted by Francis of Assisi.  There are some 120 churches spread around Italy, with a high concentration in Piedmont.

You can book the Great Opera meets Ballet in Rome and other concerts at the Chiesa Evangelica Valdese here.

Address:

Chiesa Evangelica Valdese
Via IV Novembre 107
00187 Rome

Map of Rome:

© Italy Travel, 2013. Written by Helen Page

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Portofino shops

Most tourists don’t go to Portofino to shop, for the simple reason that this picturesque harbour resort town has a reputation for being expensive. Yet, around the small crowded harbour, there are so many Italian and international luxury brand names and other shops that you have to acknowledge that Portofino is quite a shopper’s paradise – at least for the well-healed visitors.

A Shopper’s Paradise

When I first saw the Louis Vuitton shop on Molo Umberto I, on the way to the Portofino harbour, my heart skipped a beat – such is the excitement of one who loves those beautifully crafted designer goods. But by the time we got to the harbour-front, names like Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, D&G, Giogio Armani and the like were such a common sight that it began to jell on me that people do come and shop here….but who?

Portofino only has a population of 479, but its celebrity visitors and multi-millionaire expatriate residents must do enough shopping to keep these designer shops going. Also, being close to Genoa, Portofino probably gets invaded by visitors when the cruise ships are in port.  Having been starved off shopping while at sea, these ocean-cruising types must get quite desperate to empty their wallets whenever they hit shore.

Gucci in Portofino

Shopping Streets

Portofino is only a small town, but if you want to hit the road running, the main streets with the luxury brand names are Molo Umberto I, Calata Marconi, Via Roma and Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta. Jostling for business amongst the big brand name boutiques are lesser-known shops selling cashmere (quite common in Portofino shops), fashion accessories, silk nighties, embroidered linen, etc.

Apart from clothing and leather goods, there are also quite a number of jewelry shops. On Calata Marconi, shops like Luca and Gold for Ever have a red-carpet (or turquoise) welcome for shoppers. I like it too that they provide chairs outside their shops for spouses or partners who prefer not to see the price tags of jewelry that their other half is contemplating buying.

Luca Jewelry Shop

Is Portofino a Shopper’s Paradise?

Yes, Portofino is certainly a shopper’s paradise if you have a healthy shopping budget.  The focus of Portofino shops is definitely about looking good. There are a few art galleries here, but what you won’t find in Portofino are shops selling cheap luggage to pack your extra shopping or shops selling pots and pans!

For more on Portofino, see our Portofino Trip Planner Here.

© Italy Travel, 2013. Written by Helen Page

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Hotel Regina Elena

When our coach shot past the centre of Santa Margherita Ligure and pulled in at the Best Western Regina Elena Hotel further up the road, we were a little disappointed. We were only staying in the Italian Riviera for one night to visit Portofino and the Hotel Regina Elena was not in Portofinio and neither is it in central Santa Margherita Ligure. In fact the hotel is about 4 km from Portofino and a little over 1 km away from the centre of Santa Margherita Ligure.

A Best Western Hotel

Although Hotel Regina Elena is a Best Western chain hotel, it has been run by the Ciana family since 1897.  There are 104 rooms.

When we got to our room and saw the view from the balcony, our misgiving about the location dissipated. As we had little time in the Italian Riviera, it would have been nice to be in the centre of Santa Margherita Ligure, but the trade-off for us was a room with a magnificent view of the Ligurian Coast – at least we were lucky to have scored one. Some of the hotel’s past guests have complained about the top floor suite being hot in summer, but we didn’t have any problems. Maybe because we were already accustomed to the very hot summer in Italy before arriving at Santa Margherita Ligure.

The hotel has a rooftop pool and lush gardens leading to a private beach, but we didn’t have time to use these facilities. Our room worked fine for our one-night stay and it was comfortable.

Private beach of Hotel Regina Elena

What We Liked about the Hotel Regina Elena

• Our room on the top floor faced the sea and we had panoramic sea views from the spacious balcony.
• The free Wi-Fi in the room
• The breakfast room is spacious and pleasant and the breakfast was very nice. Although we were travelling in a group, they gave us individual tables and did not segregate us into a groups-only big table as many hotels do. You can order your own espresso or cappuccino at no extra charge. Breakfast was very comfortable and civilized and we could easily have dallied in the breakfast room for a bit longer.
• The bus to Portofino stops outside the hotel.

What We Thought Disappointing

The hotel is on the outskirts of Santa Margherita Ligure. Although it doesn’t take long to walk the 1 km into Santa Margherita town centre, it’s inconvenient if you wanted to have dinner in town.

You can book the Hotel Regina Elena here or see the list of Santa Margherita Ligure hotels here.

© Italy Travel, 2013. Written by Helen Page

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Arriving in Portofino by ferry

Portofino is located about 45km east of Genoa on the eastern stretch of the Italian Riviera. Genoa is the hub for all transportation along the Italian Riviera and from Genoa to Positano travellers have a choice of travel by train or ferry. Portofino is also easily reachable from Rome by train.

By Air

The nearest airport is Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport, about 45km west of Portofino. The airport is served by Alitalia, British Airways (from Gatwick), AirFrance, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines and a raft of budget airlines such as Ryanair, AirDolomiti and Vueling. There are taxis and car rental agencies at the airport or your hotel may be able to arrange transfers.

If you don’t have big cases, there is an airport bus to Genova Brignole station where you can catch the train to Santa Margherita Ligure-Portofino.

By Train

The closest train station to Portofino is Santa Margherita Ligure-Portofino. The following are some Trenitalia (www.trenitalia.com) route options:

From Rome : Roma Termini – (change at Rapallo) – S. Margherita Ligure-Portofino (Travel time: 4hrs 41mins)
From Rome : Roma Termini – (change at La Spezia Centrale) – S. Margherita Ligure-Portofino (Travel time: 4hrs 34mins)
From Genoa : Genova Brignole station – S. Margherita Ligure-Portofino (Travel time: 39 mins)
From Florence: Firenze S.M. Novella – (change at Pisa Centrale) – S. Margherita Ligure-Portofino (Travel time: 5hrs 12mins)

There are taxis outside the station or you can catch the public bus which takes you to Martyrs Square of Liberty in Portofino (see below).

By Bus

Bus stop in Portofino

From the Santa Margherita Ligure station, there is a regular bus service to the Martyrs Square of Liberty in Portofino.  Journey time is about 15 minutes. The service runs every 20 minutes from 6:15 to 22:00 (up to 00:45 in summer). We were staying at the Best Western Regina Elena in Santa Margherita and our coach door malfunction on the morning that we were going to Portofino, so the group of us piled into this public bus. The driver was very good-natured and transported us to Portofino without a complaint.

By Boat

If you’re staying on the Ligurian coast, a great way to visit Portofino and enjoy views of the coastline is by ferry. There are a number ferry and boat services that link towns on the Ligurian coast. See www.traghettiportofini.it, www.battellierigenova.it and www.golfoparadiso.it.

By Car

Take the A12 Genova-Roma motorway and exit at Rapallo. Follow the signs to Santa Margherita-Portofino which is about a 20-minute drive. Parking is at the covered carpark in the Martyrs Square of Liberty. Portofino is a car-free zone.

For more on Portofino, see our Portofino Trip Planner Here.

For wheel-chair bound travellers, it is easy to get from the car-park to the Portofino harbour. The ground is a little uneven in parts, but it’s not a problem for wheelchairs.

© Italy Travel, 2013. Written by Helen Page

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Aerial view of Portofino

Once a humble fishing village, Portofino’s picturesque harbour is the most exclusive bay and upmarket resort in Italy. In this town, built around the small harbour, there are plenty of upmarket designer boutiques, luxury yachts and magnificent villas, all indicative of the long association that Portofino has had with celebrity visitors. There is enough wealth crammed in this small harbour to support one of the smaller European economies.

Port of the Dolphin

According to Pliny the Elder, Portofino got its name from the Romans who named it Portus Delphini (Port of the Dolphin) because of the large number of
dolphins in the Tigullian Gulf. Over time Portus Delphini evolved into Portofino. The town’s natural harbour made it a suitable shelter for fishing boats and its idyllic setting attracted the British upper crust and Northern European aristocrats here in the late 19th century. These expatriates built expensive houses and the villas here such as Castello Brown, once the home of Montague Yeats Brown, British Consul to Genoa.

When Rex Harrison showed up in Portofino, he liked the place so much that he bought a villa here which he named San Genesio after the patron saint of actors. Through word of mouth, more Hollywood stars arrived so that by the 1950s, tourism overtook fishing as the town’s main industry.

View of Portofino Marina

Discreetly Wealthy Portofino

Today Portofino is a hideaway for the northern Italian elite. Nestled amongst the cypresses, palm and pine trees in the rocky promontory surrounding the harbour are the luxury villas of Italian industrialists and fashion gods like Dolce & Gabbana and Giorgio Armani. Although the boutiques and luxury boats are giveaway signs that there’s plenty of wealthy residents here, the atmosphere is more subdued and discreet than say, the jet-set image of Saint-Tropez.

Portofino harbourfront

Exploring Portofino

The centre of Portofino consists of the small piazza filled with shops, restaurants and cafes. With the onset of tourism, the one-time fishermen of Portofino evolved into cafe and restaurant owners as well as boutique owners. You can sit at one of the cafes and enjoy some people-watching, but be aware that a cup of coffee in Portofino will set you back by 5 Euros.

As you stroll around the harbour looking into the shops, don’t forget to take a look at the façades of the buildings. The engraved stone and brickwork fooled me at first, until I realized that they are painted with a trompe l’oeil effect.

Portofino Trompe l’oeil Facade

Things to See in Portofino

The few Portofino sights are concentrated on the little hill facing the harbour. It is worthwhile walking up to the Chiesa San Giorgio as the 16th century Castello Brown and Oratory of Santa Maria Assunta are up on this hill as well. From the terrace in front of San Giorgio you’ll have the most magnificent view of the whole Portofino harbour. Beyond San Giorgio, a path winds to the lighthouse at the end of the promontory. From here, you’ll have a sweeping view of the whole Ligurian coastline. .

Sculpture Garden

As we walked back down to the harbour, a rhinoceros suspended in the air, pink meerkats and other sculptures caught our attention.  Our guide did not mention the Museo del Parco, but it is the largest outdoor sculpture museum in Italy, with some 120 exhibits.  Regrettably, as we weren’t aware of the sculpture park, we didn’t allow time to stop there.

Portofino Sculpture Garden

Portofino Holidays

It’s easy to see why the rich and famous have chosen this idyllic harbour as their retreat.  I too wouldn’t mind spending some days here.  Coincidentally, the biggest cruiser moored in the harbour had my name on it and I can imagine what it would be like cruising the Ligurian coast in it.

For walkers, there is a network of well-marked walking paths you can explore in the Portofino Park area. Others may choose to just relax at the nearby beaches such as Paraggi Beach, Camogli, Chiavari, Lavagna, and Sestri Levante.

Portofino Hotels

Hotels in Portofino are very expensive and the 5-star Hotel Splendido is the hottest Portofino hotel where everyone stays. It is a member of the Orient-Express Hotels and a night’s stay here in summer will make a nice dent in your bank account. Even the more reasonable hotels like the Albergo Nazionale on the harbour are expensive in summer. For the complete list of Portofino hotels, see Here.

How to Get to Portofino

Portofino is easy to get to from Genoa or Rome. See here for more on How to Get to Portofino.

Portofino: Live from the Luxury Ligurian Resort
See the sights of Portofino at our Portofino gallery Here.

For more on Portofino, see our Portofino Trip Planner Here.

© Italy Travel, 2013. Written by Helen Page

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Tony surrounded by Vino Nobile

Montepulciano is a well-known wine-producing area and its Vino Nobile is one of the oldest wines of Italy – there is written mention of this wine as early as 790. If you’re interested in Italian wines, you don’t have to look very far to find a cellar in this town. From the big producers to the smaller family-run wineries, most have cellars or outlets in the centro storico.

Visiting the Contucci Cellar

Lining the Corso, Montepulciano’s main street, and around Piazza Grande, there are numerous wine-tasting places and Cantina Contucci is one of them.

The Contucci family is one of the oldest families in Montepulciano and they have been cultivating grapes since Renaissance times. Of their 170-hectare estate, 21 hectares are vineyards, with 15 hectares dedicated to Vino Nobile. The remaining 6 hectares are used for the Rosso Di Montepulciano, Bianco della Contessa, Il Sansovino, Vin Santo and Bianco della Contessa.

The Palazzo Contucci on Piazza Grande is the residence of the Contucci family as well as the location of their cellar. All the wines produced by the Contucci estate are matured in oak barrels here.The entrance to the cellar is just off the main square and tourists are welcome to just stroll around the cellar to see where their precious wines are cellared. We were quite surprised that no one from Contucci supervised us as we sniffed around the cellar, drooling over the barrels of the noble drop.

Palazzo Contucci

After visiting the cellar, you can taste and buy some of the Contucci wines in the Cantina Contucci. If you like the Vino Nobile, there’s no better place to buy it than in Montepulciano itself.  Sixty percent of Contucci wine sales are actually made directly from the cellars and the remainder are exported. The four-bottle wine pack at €80 was tempting, but we had no means of carrying it around with us.

Contucci wine pack

Vino Nobile

Vino Nobile is made mainly from the Sangiovese grape (known locally as Prugnolo gentile) and blended with Canaiolo Neroa and Colorino grapes. Being a DOCG status wine, its production follows strict rules. The Vino Nobile are aged in the barrels for two years before being released and in the case of the Riserva, it is three years. If you don’t want to pay the higher price for the Vino Nobile, the Rosso di Montepulciano is made from the same grapes but only aged for a short six or seven months.

The Contucci cellar is open for visits and wine-tasting on week-days and holidays. Opening times are: 09.00 – 12.30 and 14.30 – 18.30.

Montepulciano Wine Info

If you’re keen on wine and wine tours, the information centre of the Strada del Vino Nobile (www.stradavinonobile.it) in Piazza Grande has brochures and organizes wine tours for visitors. These tours allow wine lovers to tour the wineries and meet the producers of Montepulciano’s Vino Nobile.

See more photos of the Contucci cellar Here.
For more information about Montepulciano, see our Montepulciano Trip Planner.

© Italy Travel, 2013. Written by Helen Page

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Piazza Grande

One of the pleasures of travelling in Tuscany is visiting its many charming medieval hill towns, Montepulciano being one of them. Set on a ridge of about 605 metres above sea level, Montepulciano is one of the of the highest Tuscan hill towns. The town is famous for its Vino Nobile di Montepulciano so if you love a good red wine, this is the town for you.

Medieval Montepulciano

Although Montepulciano’s history dates back to the period of the Etruscans, its economic power and period of social importance took place between the 1300s and the end of the 16th century.  Montepulciano sits at the crossroads between Siena to its west and Perugia to its east and Florence to the north and Orvieto to its south. Surrounded by these important cities, Montepulciano was able to take advantage of its strategic location by creating alliances where it found them beneficial. It grew rich and powerful from these alliances, but on the downside, it was also drawn into their battles.  Montepulciano was a loyal ally of Florence but subsequently became its possession.

Renaissance Transformation

Under the Medicis, Montepulciano reached the height of its splendour. Famous Florentine architects were brought in to build palazzi, luxurious residences and other structures and the old buildings were refurbished, giving Montepulciano a Renaissance facelift. However, Montepulciano’s glorious times did not last.  When Florence conquered Siena in 1559, Montepulciano lost its strategic role and the city’s importance dwindled.

Triptych of the Assumption

Exploring Montepulciano

From our base in Chianciano Terme, we made a late afternoon visit to Montepulciano. This town does not have a stunning Duomo like Siena or the magnificent towers of San Gimignano, but much of what we see in this town today are the original structures, built in the 14th – 16th centuries. In the Piazza Grande are many of the city’s main attractions:

• The Pozzo dei Grifi e dei Leoni, the well in front of the Duomo is a tell-tale sign of the influence of Florence. On the well is the Medici coat of arms is held up by lions (a symbol of Florence), and flanked by griffins representing Montepulciano.
• The Palazzo Comunale (town hall), another reminder of Florence, was fashioned after the Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. You can climb the tower of the town hall and on a clear day, it is possible to see as far as Perugia, Siena and all over Tuscany.
• Opposite the Palazzo Comunale is the Duomo – The external architecture of the Duomo is rather plain but towering over the main altar is a triptych of the Assumption of the Virgin, painted by Taddeo di Bartolo.
• Palazzo Tarugi is entirely in travertine.  Its portico was once open to the public.

San Biagio Sanctuary

Other Sights of Montepulciano

From the terrace outside the Chiesa San Francesco (in Piazza San Francesco) you can get panoramic views of the vineyards that produce the Vino Nobile. To the west of town, off the road to Pienza, is another of Montepulciano’s important monuments – the Tempio di San Biagio. This high Renaissance church is another of Antonio da Sangallo the Edler’s architecture – the exterior of the sanctuary and its two towers are built in white travertine.

Vino Nobile

Montepulciano Wines

What Montepulciano lacks in stunning monuments it more than makes up for by its famous wines. In and around the Piazza Grande there are many cellars where you can taste some of the famous Montepulciano wines. The Cantina Contucci is one of these wine-tasting places and you can freely roam around the cellar and see where the Vino Nobile and Rosso di Montepulciano are aged in barrels.

Montepulciano Hotels

There are several very small family-run hotels in the historic centre with just four or five rooms. The Locanda di San Francesco and Palazzo Carletti are two such small hotels. Locanda di San Francisco, on Piazza San Francesco, has four individually decorated rooms with excellent views overlooking the Val D’Orcia and Valdichiana valleys. The family also owns the Valdipiatta winery. For the complete list of Montepulciano hotels, see Here.

Getting there

By train – There is no train station in Montepulciano. What is shown as “Montepulciano Stazione” is about seven miles out of town. If travelling by train, it is better to take the train to Chiusi-Chianciano Terme on the Rome-Florence line (www.trenitalia.com) and then catch the LFI bus (www.lfi.it).

See Tony’s video take of Montepulciano Here.
See more Montepulciano photos at our Montepulciano gallery Here.
For more information on Montepulciano, see our Montepulciano Trip Planner

© Italy Travel, 2013. Written by Helen Page

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The famous fountains and gardens of Italy’s Villa d’Este made it a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Water Organ Fountain above the magnificent Fountain of Neptune entranced Villa D’Este’s residents and visitors in the early 17th century, as it does today. Tony and Helen brave the crowds to bring you a taste of the experience!

“Well here we are at the Villa D’Este – if you can hear me above the water – and we’re actually not coming to see what you’re looking at, which is the main garden, but we’ve come to the Neptune Fountain (Ed: actually it’s the Water Organ Fountain), behind me, which is supposed to be switched on at 12:30.

But Beware Marauding Tourists

However, we’re not the only ones here. As you can see, there’s a large contingent of tourists and Italian grannies who have basically taken over the fountain itself. Er, we’ve also got a few Russians around. But anyway, we’ll wait here and I’ll switch off and come back to you when the fountain is underway.

The Doors Open, Action At Last – But Is It?

“And we have action – and just wait for the crowds. As the doors open, I’ll zoom in a bit here and see if we can get anything. I can’t hear a thing at the moment, but, well there’s the organ.

Oh, I see, it’s an actual real organ, not quite so spectacular as I had hoped. Right, you can probably see that, now the doors of the fountain have opened, there are some basically normal organ pipes behind it. Let’s pull back and you can have a look at the chaos around.

The Music Really Does Start…

“It looks a bit modern to me but, well, there we go. It’s all very spectacular, but absolutely nothing is happening. At least the crowd’s suddenly gone quiet, and the tension is killing me.

(Organ sounds a single note)

“And we’re off. Well, that was short, but sweet. Ah, I can hear something…

(Organ plays)

“The interesting thing about this organ is that it’s all powered by water, apparently. No sign of how that’s done, but that’s it. The door is still open, but the music continued on for a while, I don’t know if it’s still continuing. Everyone’s been frantically taking photographs but they’ve decided enough is enough and everyone’s started to split…”

(Tony is bumped and makes a crash zoom)

“Oops, sorry that was … I think I’ll join Helen who has managed to get a place right at the front, as you can see, so hopefully she’s got a few photographs.”

Water Organ Fountain

The baroque Water Organ Fountain was completed in 1611 under Cardinal Alessandro D’Este. The hydraulic mechanism was invented by Frenchman Claude Venard. Apparently the fall of the water causes air to escape from the organ pipes and at the same time another mechanism lowers the keys, causing the fountain to play. This invention fascinated Villa D’Este’s residents at the time.

Fell into neglect, but renovated and heard by Liszt

In the 18th century, when the villa and gardens were in the hands of the House of Habsburg, the place was neglected and the organ hydraulics fell into disuse. It was during the tenure of Cardinal Gustav Adolf Hohenlohe that the state of decay was reversed. Cardinal Hohenlohe hosted Franz Liszt at Villa D’Este and the famous composer is believed to have given one of his last concerts at the Villa. Today, Villa D’Este is state-owned which hopefully means that the music will keep playing at the Water Organ Fountain, as it did for us today.

© Italy Travel, 2013. Written by Tony Page

Post tags: Cardinal, Fountain of Neptune, fountains, Garden, Italy, Tivoli, unesco world heritage site, Villa d'Este, Water Organ in Categories: Sightseeing

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The legendary Renaissance gardens of the Villa d’Este are arguably the most important in Italy, and inspired many other gardens all over Europe. The great fountains are particularly striking, and Helen sets the scene for you in front of the most magnificent, the Fountain of Neptune.

“Hi, we’re now in Villa D’Este (Gardens) in Tivoli. It is about 30 km outside of Rome. This is the largest and most important garden in Italy and it’s just full of fountains – there are over 200 fountains with 500 jets. And we just came in from the palace up there and walked down a little Avenue of a Hundred Fountains (Le Cento Fontane) and that was beautiful. Down the side there was water flowing down and lots of statues and all that.

Don’t miss the Fountain of Neptune and the Water Organ Fountain

“And then coming down here, that is one of the biggest fountains over there, the Fountain of Neptune. And, look at it, it’s really impressive. Behind that there’s another beautiful fountain (Water Organ Fountain) and at 12:30 the hydraulic organ is going to go off. It only plays every two hours so that’s where we’ll be heading to quite quickly.

Built by Cardinal Ippolito d’Este in the 16th Century

“But, this place was built by Cardinal Ippolito d’Este, or something like that in the 16th century. He was going to be Governor of Tivoli and he needed a place to live that was suitable for his position. So, he built this huge place, look at it, it’s magnificent. This beautiful garden is a nice place to just have a relaxing time and we’re just going to be heading in that direction to check out that other fountain, so I’m off now. I’ll see you later. Bye.”

Villa D’Este – A Consolation Prize

Villa D’Este was the vision of Cardinal Ippolito II D’Este who was appointed Governor of Tivoli by Pope Julius III, as a consolation for losing the papal race to him. The Governor had intended to used the residence for diplomatic and lavish receptions and hence the grand scale of Villa D’Este. The villa took twenty years to build and I don’t think the Governor got to use it much as intended as he died just when it was nearing completion.

Magnificent 16th century Garden of Water Fountains

The villa is renowned for its frescoes, but it is more famous for the magnificent 16th century garden of water fountains. As you walk around the garden there are 17 main fountains to admire: Pegasus fountain, Water Organ fountain, Neptune fountain, Cypress Rotunda, Goddess of Nature fountain, Mete fountains, Ariadne fountain, the Fish Ponds, Dragon fountain, Bollori Steps, Owl fountain, Proserpina fountain, Rometta fountain, One Hundred Fountains Avenue, Oval fountain, Great Chalice fountain, and Diana’s Grotto.

A Great Place to Escape to

The Villa D’Este garden is a great place to escape to if you want a break from visiting duomos and monuments. We only had a short break here and the four fountains that we particularly liked were:

• the Rometta fountain, on the left of the villa. You’ll recognize it by the large boat in the fountain. The Rometta fountain contains many miniature features and symbols that were meant to represent Ancient Rome. The boat on the canal represents the Tiber Island and the she-wolf is suckling the twins Romulus and Remus, associated with Rome’s foundation myth.
• walk down the One Hundred Fountains Avenue where water spurts from fountain heads in all kinds of shapes such as eagles, obelisks, lilies, sailing boats and more
• the huge Neptune fountain is a 20th century transformation of the Bernini waterfall which was irreparably damaged after two centuries of neglect.
• the Water Organ fountain – the hydraulic organ plays daily every two hours from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm.

© Italy Travel, 2013. Written by Tony Page

Post tags: Cardinal, Fountain of Neptune, fountains, Garden, Italy, Tivoli, unesco world heritage site, Villa d'Este in Categories: Sightseeing

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Avoiding the Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Dior shops along the waterfront, and refraining from indulging in 5 euro coffees, Tony Page wanders past million dollar cruisers and climbs up above Portofino to give you an overview of this famed Ligurian resort on the Italian Riviera, much favoured by celebrities like Ava Gardner, Marlon Brando, Madonna and Sting

“Here we are in Portofino where the clouds have parted – yes, it was pretty cloudy – and we’ve got a spot of sunlight, so I’ve taken the chance to climb up to the church (Chiesa di San Giorgio) to get an overview of the harbour. As you can see, there are plenty of “small” boats in at the moment…

“This is not known as a luxury place for nothing. If you look at some of the shots in the gallery, you’ll see Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Dior, all small shops running alongside the harbour. Not quite the run-of-the-mill shops we’ve been used to in Cinque Terre, for example.

Guarded by a Rhinoceros and
Pink Meercats

“And down here, if I zoom in, you can see, guarded by a rhinoceros – yes, rhinoceros – a sculpture garden. Pink meercats they look like, but your guess is as good as mine, and they seem to be guarding the sculpture garden. I don’t know anything else about it at the moment, I’m sorry about that, but there we are. (Ed: It’s the Museo del Parco with about 120 sculptures by international artists.)

Not so gaudy as other places on the coast

“So, let’s look at the place itself. Actually I really like it, we’re here quite early in the morning and it’s very peaceful and it’s not so gaudy as the other places along the coast, like for example, Monterosso. Maybe an indication of that is the size of the boats and the character of the shops as you walk down the main street.

“But it’s really very attractive along here. We just drove along from Santa Margherita Ligure, which is sort of the next big town along and the whole of the hillside is actually covered with Umbertino-like villas. It’s quite extraordinary, like an out-take from the “Garden of the Finzi-Continis”.

An out-take from the “Garden of the Finzi-Continis”

“I’m not sure if I can get one (of the mansions) – this one here, for example, is absolutely typical of those that you see along this coast. Yes, amazing, really. Certainly very elegant and although the weather’s not been brilliant for us, I’m sure it makes a nice contrast if you have the money to afford it.

“I’m told that a coffee at the cafe where Ava Gardner sat in the “Barefoot Contessa” would cost you about 5 Euros, but as it’s closed at the moment, I can’t tell you exactly. Obviously people here are used to sensibly getting up a little later.

“Okay, well I’m going to wander down, by the way, it wasn’t a big hike up here so you might like to try it yourself.”

See more Portofino photos Here.

For more on Portofino, see our Portofino Trip Planner Here.

© Italy Travel, 2013. Written by Tony Page

Post tags: celebrities, italian riviera, Liguria, luxury resort, Museo del Parco, Portofino, Umbertino, villas in Categories: Destinations

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