THE ITALIAN JOB
In this new series Thomas and Jutta Kittel take their Marlow 72 on a lap of Italy starting from Menton in France during the spring and summer of 2019
PART 1
Marlow owners Thomas and Jutta Kittel recall their epic 2019 cruise around Italy starting with Genoa, Portofino, La Spezia and the unforgettable Cinque Terre
Regular readers may recall that last year we wrote about the voyage from our home berth in Germany to Portugal and along the Spanish coast to the Balearics, France and Corsica. This year we are continuing our travels from Menton, France to Italy before heading south along the Ligurian coast to Sicily and beyond. Although we are only writing about this now, the voyage actually took place in 2019, long before any of us had even heard of the dreaded COVID-19. Fourteen days before our scheduled departure, Azura is craned into the water in Menton. At best, 85% of the action points from last winter have been completed by the shipyard. Now the final spurt begins and bets are laid as to how many jobs will remain unfinished before we set sail. As we fire up the engines for departure, one of the shipyard workers is still frantically polishing away the last rust stains from the gel coat, while the manager himself is busy unscrewing the wrongly installed eyelets on the covers. But as soon as we are at sea, any lingering irritations are left in our wake as we settle into the happy rhythm of being back on the water once more. Our first day of cruising takes us across the border to Imperia, Italy. With a gentle breeze from astern and a cloudless blue sky overhead, the journey is pure bliss. We use the time to polish up our own rusty skills and hone our on-board routine.
Much as we enjoy these blissful days at sea, the Med isn’t always as well-behaved as the tourist brochures would have you believe. In winter but also in spring, the storms here can be every bit as violent as the Atlantic lows. The mountainous nature of the coastal landmass around much of southern France and northern Italy means that the strong winds often set in abruptly with little or no warning. A constant preoccupation with the weather is a must if you are to avoid getting caught in unpleasant or even dangerous situations.
SPRING IS IN THE AIR
It is in distinctly unseasonal conditions with a choppy sea and grey skies that we call in at Genoa. With no less than four marinas to choose from it offers a wide range of options for visiting craft. We choose the Marina Porto Antico close to the old town – a modern, very well-kept complex that to our surprise even has a berth alongside the quay. An adapter for shore power is provided free of charge and both electricity and water are included in the price of the berth. A friendly reception from the port office completes our positive first impression of the place.
If you enjoy the workings of a busy port, this is the place for you: cruise ships, ferries, freighters, tankers, tourist and small sportsboats constantly come and go. With almost 600,000 inhabitants, Genoa is the sixth largest city in Italy and the capital of Liguria. Founded as a small town in this well-protected natural harbour, Genoa rose over the centuries to become a leading trading power, whose network extended to the Middle East, Africa and along the Western Mediterranean out into the Atlantic. The ability of the Genoese seafarers is world renowned, thanks in no small part to Christopher Columbus, who was born here in 1451 and went on to discover America in 1492.
In addition to the Fontana di Piazza de Ferrari, the Lanterna lighthouse is the city’s most famous landmark. Built into the hillside overlooking the port way back in 1128, it stretches to a height of 77m (117m if you include the base), making it the highest navigation mark in the Mediterranean. If visibility is good, its light can be seen from a distance of up to 36 nautical miles away. Today the lighthouse is combined with a museum and can be reached on foot via an interesting path that winds its way up from the ferry terminal west of Porto Antico.
The mountainous nature of the city has led to numerous elevators (ascensore) and funicular railways (funiculare) being built into its fabric over the years. I’ve always been fascinated by feats of engineering like this and spend some time seeking them out to reach the higher parts of the city and enjoy the panoramic views. Wandering back down through the maze of streets has the added advantage of stumbling across some hidden gems far away from the tourist crowds, such as the Antica Farmacia Erboristica near the Santa Anna church. The old town with its impossibly narrow alleys is also a must.
PORTOFINO NO GO
Our next destination of Portofino, the small but glamorous natural harbour made famous by countless books and movies, is causing difficulties. In addition to the stellar berthing price of 500-600 euros per night, we are sent the rules and regulations which run to more than 20 pages. As if that weren’t enough, the reservation still can’t be confirmed because of an approaching storm. With a heavy heart, we decide not to book a berth in Portofino, settling instead for a brief stopover en route to La Spezia. We arrange permission with the port office, which makes us promise to stay ‘no longer than five minutes’, so we can at least enjoy a slow lap of the basin. The weather gods seem to sympathise with our predicament and push the clouds away for the 15 minutes of our visit – five were never going to be enough!
The weather continues to improve and by the time we reach La Spezia, the sun is burning bright in a cloudless sky. Shortly before we pass the narrow but beautiful passage between Portovenere and the Isola Palmaria, La Spezia port authorities greet us on VHF. After a brief struggle with language difficulties, we receive excellent support when it comes to berthing. We pull the mooring lines tight because the storm is due to hit in the early hours of the morning. Sure enough at 0400 I am woken by a sharp jolt on the lines. In circumstances like this I become hypersensitive to any noises and movements on board. The onset of the storm causes the boat to swing back and forth, and I can hear the fenders rolling into each other. Nothing drastic happens but I can’t get back to sleep and resort to counting away the hours till dawn. By mid-morning the wind has dropped and with it the slapping of water on the hull. But it starts to bucket down with rain and the temperature drops below 10°C. We decide to hire a rental car to explore Rapallo in the afternoon.
Rapallo is perhaps best known for hosting the 1922 Germanrussian Treaty, in which the two countries agreed to waive war reparations payments and resume diplomatic relations. More recently it achieved a certain notoriety among the boating community when on October 30, 2018 an unprecedented storm with waves up to 10m high completely devastated the port. The outer wall, made up of gigantic concrete blocks, was largely destroyed and dozens of boats and pontoons were ripped from their moorings. Some sank on the spot, others were washed ashore like toys. At the time of our visit (2019) Marina Porto
Carlo Riva is still closed but under reconstruction. Cranes, excavators and pile drivers are everywhere and extensive rebuilding work is also taking place on the damaged promenade.
CINQUE TERRE DELIGHTS
We’re enraptured by this magical corner of Italy. The Cinque Terre more than live up to the hype
We awake the next morning to find the sun shining from a clear blue sky and set off to discover the nearby Cinque Terre – a string of five picturesque villages clinging to the cliffs like seabirds’ nests. We start with the pretty Monterosso al Mare and then visit Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. The five villages are connected by well-developed mountain roads, which offer breathtaking views of the coast and the sea. Since the town centres are all closed to traffic, we have to park our rental car some distance away and hike our way into town. After a full day’s programme we are dog-tired but also enraptured by this magical corner of Italy – despite the flood of tourists the Cinque Terre more than live up to the hype.
With another strong wind forecast we move on from La Spezia to seek shelter in Marina di Pisa instead of Piombino. The obligatory visit to the Leaning Tower is just as much a part of the compulsory programme as a trip by bus and train to Florence, but somehow the spark doesn’t fire us up this time. Is it because we’ve already visited both places a long time ago? Have we become blasé due to an overload of wonderful cruising experiences? Or are we just bothered by the constant stream of people posing for selfies?
The strong westerly wind creates an ugly swell that thunders against the concrete moles of the harbour basin, sending spray crashing high into the air. Leaving the harbour is out of the question but our enforced detention does allow us to meet new people. Kathy and Bob from the USA have come to Europe on their Nordhavn Vesper using the notorious northern route from Newfoundland via Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Scotland. They are very familiar with Italy, having lived in Rome for 12 years and speak Italian fluently. Like us, they want to go south to Malta. Helma and Rob are sailors from Holland on board a Beneteau named Bright Side who are now looking for a motor yacht. So with the aid of a glass of wine or two we share many topics of conversation – sometimes in English, sometimes in German.
ELBA EXILE
When the weather calms down for a short time, we grab the chance and motor to Elba. This island, best known for Napoleon’s exile in 1814-1815, is located close to the Italian mainland at the tip of Cap Corse and is the third largest in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia. Although smaller than the Isle of Wight, the mountains soar to over 1,000m high before dropping steeply into the sea. With its rugged rock formations, complemented by numerous
bays and headlands, it looks like a small Corsica from the sea. Traces of iron ore mining, which began centuries ago and finally stopped in 1982, can still be seen pock-marking the island. These days the main export seems to be Aqua dell’elba a scented water marketed as the “Perfume of the Sea”, which has become a great success story for the island and seems to be for sale in every shop.
We moor in the old harbour of Portoferraio, the main town and port of access to the island. Ferries run in and out all the time but cars and crowds are notable by their absence. It may simply be that the weather is too windy, wet and cold for the usual tourist crowds. Whatever the cause, we have no problem finding a free berth and even the restaurants seem downright empty. A similar picture emerges on the streets too, where we barely see any cars. To be honest we rather enjoy the relative peace and quiet and take the chance to move on to Porto Azzurro – another appealing place that seems very popular with Germans – and then Marciana Marina.
The 1,019m high Monte Capanne, whose summit can be reached by cable car, offers an even more special experience with a fantastic 360° view of Elba and the surrounding area. Bizarrely, the cable car has no closed cabins but rather open wire baskets with space for two people to stand. It is not for the faint of heart – especially in the wind and rain, which we currently seem to be getting more than our fair share of. The ride takes about 20 minutes and at the top it is 10°C cooler than below – do not make the mistake of wearing shorts and sandals or you will remember it for all the wrong reasons! I wrap up warm in a thick sweater and a winter jacket but still feel a bit fresh at the summit. My wife, not a fan of adventures like this at the best of times, is quite happy to sit this one out.
After we have seen almost everything there is to see on Elba, a small weather window appears that allows us to jump across to Corsica. The choice of port is a tricky one: Solenzara has space but cannot offer any assistance with mooring. Camponolo is full. This leaves only Porto Vecchio, where the harbour master knocks off at 1900. I manage to convince someone to stay until 2000 to help with our mooring lines – at an additional charge of course.
With a Force 4-5 wind from the north behind us and a lot of sun on the way, we make the long run to Porto Vecchio, where we arrive a little tired but in good spirits. The reception committee consists of two young people without much experience. We get one mooring line on but can’t get it tight. Only with the help of a neighbouring boat and a complete repetition of the procedure are we able to moor our boat safely. The power socket turns out to be a Mediterranean special and the so-called “adapter” turns out to be a self-assembly plug, which we can borrow for a small deposit of 200 euros in cash! So the generator has to hum instead.
The next morning, the storm howls once again stirring up the sea even in the well-protected bay of Porto Vecchio. Only in the afternoon do the clouds break up revealing our surroundings. We take a walk through the Haute Ville, the attractive little old town perched high up the hillside which enjoys a wonderful view of the bay. From here we can still see snow on some of the mountain peaks – a sight we have only ever seen in Norway at this time of year in the second half of May.
SARDINIA BECKONS
The weather is finally due to calm down tomorrow meaning we can start planning our next leg to Sardinia. In zero wind, we cast off and motor out of the long bay to the open sea, where the swell from the previous day greets us, kept alive by a fresh northerly sea breeze. We follow our track saved on the chartplotter from last year through the flat spots between Corsica and the small island of Cavallo and soon we are on course towards Stintino at the northwesternmost tip of Sardinia. With the sun on our backs, a following wind and moderate sea, the feel-good factor finally returns and we start looking forward to the next chapter of our cruise.
NEXT MONTH: Thomas and Jutta’s luck picks up with a sun-blessed cruise around Sardinia