Rapallo is a coastal town in the province of Genoa, northern Italy. We chose this spot as it was super close to Portofino – just a quick ferry ride – without the outrageous prices.
We chose to stay at Italia e Lido Hotel. It was a lovely hotel at an amazing price, right on the beach front. We arrived a little early and our room wasn’t ready, so they served us chilled white wine on their balcony while we waited, which was perfect after a long morning travelling on a hot day.
Our room was sweet and over looked the sea and the Castello sul Mare (castle on the sea).
Once we had a shower to wash off the travel grime (what’s with that?) we were ready to be reunited with proper Italian gelato. It’s what dreams are made of.
We explored the boardwalks around the water and the main street of the small town.
We had a few drinks on the water front. Drinks at Rapallo were insane – they came with so many snacks, it was pretty much a meal. We had a small dinner and then walked to a high point on the cliffs to watch the sun set.
The next day we caught the ferry to Portofino. We jumped on at the Rapallo wharf and chugged along the coast line.
The colours of Portofino were glorious. There were lovely little markets and fancy little restaurants. We had a wander around and then parked up for some lunch.
We decided to order a couple of drinks first. On the menu there was a $53 (AUD) bellini. I was overcome with curiosity and decided to go for it. Not only was it one of the best beverages I’ve ever tasted, it pretty much came with a meal! All that food picture, plus more, came with our drinks!
We decided lunch wasn’t required after all.
On the ferry back we decided to stop at Santa Margherita for a swim, as it seemed like a popular place for a dip.
We found a nice restaurant that night, shared a bottle of wine and went to bed with a full belly and the start of a tan.
Our final day in Rapallo we decided to soak up the sun again. We went to a small resort and hired some sun chairs. There were floaties to play on and the water was fresh.
Our last night was another big dinner (it was the beginning of an Italian trend). We soaked up the lovely view for the last time before another train trip down the Italian coast.
