A Trip to Camogli

The dilemma here is that we have conflicting urges to both get out and explore.......and also to just relax and enjoy the wonders of this lifestyle.  We are not sure that this will ever be resolved, so we move forward in half-day segments, just going with the flow of our mood at the time.  This morning we slept in again a bit more than anticipated, but still made it down by 8:30, while others were finishing up and heading out on one adventure or another.  Nonetheless, we had a relaxing breakfast and followed up on our 'evening before' decision to head off to Camogli this morning.  We wanted to get there early enough to miss the midday lunch crowd, so left the Villa by 9:45.  The drive is about 5 1/2 miles and usually takes about 15 minutes........so a short run.

We found a great parking spot in the small municipal lot at the bottom of the hill.  It is tough to get there, but we have found it to be the most convenient.  The challenge today was that the parking ticket machine did not like my Visa card and we had no change........so we took a chance and crossed our fingers.  In the end it worked out fine. No ticket!

And back to Villa dei Pini for lunch!

The front door and entry

After a couple of flights of stairs, you arrive at the 'Fellows' Library on the third floor.  Our room is just to the left of the photo.  If you go to the far end of the room, there is a stair up to the roof terrace.......an absolutely wonderful place to escape to........as Andrea is fond to do!

While Andrea read and rested, I decided to head down to the centro for an afternoon swim.  There are two tricky moves required here........the first is to find a way down to the beach, as it is at the bottom of some steep rock 'inclines.'  The second is to figure out how to walk on the stone beach.  It is a rough gravel that is crazy difficult on your feet.  In the end, however, the result is worth it.......the water was wonderfully refreshing!