When the clock chimed two I was sat eating gnocchi al salmone on the balcony of a little restaurant overlooking the sea. Below me I could hear the waves breaking softly on the pebbly beach, lined with green and yellow umbrellas and multicoloured beach towels. The cloudless sky above me gave the sea a deep blue tone and the bright Italian sun made it glitter all the way to the horizon. As picture perfect as a postcard, this little seaside town is Camogli. And it is here that I spent my second day off.
I was welcomed into Camogli by a bustling market just outside the station, where loud Italians were selling fresh fruit and vegetables, odd bits of kitchen crockery and everything you may possibly need for a day at the beach. From the passion of the market I turned down into a narrow, cobbled street, poking my head in and out of shops: fresh fish here, focaccia there, then gelato, postcards and jewellery made from seashells and pearls. I was yet to see the sea, but it's presence lies all over this town.
The port is perhaps the most beautiful place in Camogli, and if you walk down the pier you can see it for all it's serene beauty. The coloured facades of buildings face the little expanse of water where many-a-boat bobs up and down, ready to take a trip to the nearby towns of Portofino, San Fruttuoso bay or Genova.
On the beach the same famous line-up of coloured buildings can be found, this time facing the busy promenade which I walked up and down many times, soaking up the beating sun, fresh sea-air and eating creamy gelato.
Later I returned to the port to take a boat to visit San Fruttuoso bay. This place is so isolated it can only be reached by boat or on foot, and as the boat turns in I am taken aback by the clear blue of the water, the beautiful abbey which sits just above the beach on the hill and the multitude of people filling this serene little bay. I follow crooked paths behind the beach up to the abbey and then round to the tower, on the other side of the bay is a much more isolated beach where people are snorkelling around the rocks, others are eating seafood at the little trattoria on the shore and I am looking for somewhere to fit my towel - to no avail.
It is 4pm but still unbelievably hot, so before I leave I swim in the warm sea, lie on the pebbly beach, then take the boat back to Camogli where I pick up a famous focaccia al formaggio and catch the train home. Camogli is undeniably beautiful, less touristy than nearby Portofino and perhaps more authentic. Smelling of seasalt and sun cream I am happy and lucky to have visited this beautiful little town. I am already planning to revisit in the winter when I am told it is almost completely secluded and serene.
