Last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet fellow friends (old and new!), Chelsea and Yuriy, on the Ligurian coast. We are so lucky to be able to drive from Bergamo to Portofino in less than three hours and so when I heard this jet-setting couple was headed down to Italy from Paris, I just knew I had to jump on the chance to meet. I love seeing friends from home while abroad. It might be the surreal-ness of it, the way it makes the world feel so small. It might be the fact that they somehow quench my thirst for home- the familiar accent, the way they talk and laugh, and the ease that comes from being in the company of people that grew up where you did. Whatever it is, it's always a pleasure. Massi and I drove down Saturday morning and immediately claimed our spot at the beach in Camogli (the photo above is of the beach and shoreline). We spent the entire day there like the Italians do, only breaking to re-hydrate with ice cold Moretti beers; it was scorching- a heat so indescribable the only way I can do it justice is by saying we only managed to leave the water momentarily for five or ten minute spurts.
We had booked a hotel using AirBnB for the very first time- being as scalding as the weather was, the entire Ligurian coast was booked full and the remaining prices were astronomical. We paid a cool 55 euros for an apartment tucked away in the hills behind Camogli and it was perfect. considering prices were running almost triple that for a single night in a hotel. We even managed to drag ourselves out of our beach stupor to wander around Camogli before heading back to freshen up for dinner. Our original (overly idealistic) plan was to meet up in Portofino, but having driven there and having no luck with parking, we back-tracked and decided on Santa Margherita Ligure, which to be honest, is devastatingly cute and probably underrated next to its famed neighbor. After an aperitivo of beers (tonic water and lemon for heat-stroked me), the four of us meandered over to our 9 o'clock reservation at Ristorante da Antonio (check it out on Trip Advisor because it was wonderful). The ceiling of the restaurant is draped with vines and they offer you pink prosecco to start. Our dinner was done Italian-style, something like three or four hours later, we were the second-to-last table remaining, glowing from the good food, company, flowing wine, all encompassed bit of magic that Italian summer nights seem to create. The limoncello was perfect and I had moscato-drenched peaches for dessert, one of my favourites thusfar. For even more photographs of our weekend, follow my Instagram (@questadolcevita)!
Italy,
and the spring,
and first love,
all together should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy.
- Bertrand Russell
Don't you agree? x
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