We arrived in Nice and picked up our convertible. As this was Karen's 60th birthday we has planned to celebrate the event with a sexy car to drive along the coast.

Eurocar did not have the Megan which we had originally ordered, but the Volkswagen EOS was a sexy car.

We drove everyday with the roof down. Once, on the way to the town of Noli, we had to put the roof up and it rained for a few hours. But by the time we were ready to leave the sun was out and once again the top was down.

 

Alassio, Italy

We drove along the coast to the town of Alassio, located just across the boarder between France and Italy. The last time we were here was 2007 and a return visit was in order.

Alassio has a grand history as it was once of the destinations of the British during the grand years of travelling to Italy. The town then receded back into a much quieter place. The buildings and architecture throughout the town echo its previous grand lifestyle.

Running through the centre of the historic centre of Alassio, along the water, is Il Budello (the intestine). This is a narrow street lined with shops. We noticed this year there were more high end stores but the character of the street has not really changed. It is not an evening in Alassio without a walk down Il Budello.

The beach in Alassio is one of the best beaches in Italy. Beautiful sand. Warm water. Oh that is the life. We started with a full day relaxing on the beach.

We stayed at the Hotel Tirreno, located right on the beach in Alassio. We have stayed here before, and it is one of our Great Places to Stay as it represents a good basic beach hotel. Nothing fancy but then again, this is a beach resort.

The Grand Hotel in Alassio has now re-opened and that is always an option is one is looking for an upper-end hotel.

 

 

Genoa, Italy

Genoa, or Genova in Italian, is the capital of the Liguria Region. For so many years we driven the autostrada with care not to by accident go into Genoa. That was a mistake. This year, with GPS on board, we boldly drove off the autostrada and into the heart of Genoa.

The historic center is very interesting and we were quite taken with the architecture of the city.

The old centre is known as the vicoli. The vicoli has a maze of tiny streets and alleys called caruggi. We had a great hotel and it meant I could walk out of the hotel, and down a set of stairs and explore the vicoli.

Travel books we have read advised not to explore this part of town at night. At night we were out on the larger streets, but early morning and evening walks through the maze of streets was very interesting.

Up on the larger streets, the old palaces, many known as the Rolli Palaces, are on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Our hotel, the Hotel Metropoli is not far from the pedestrian street, Via Garibaldi, one of the primary walking streets to see the Palazzi Rolli. We found the location to be great. The staff at the hotel were very helpful. They helped me with directions to a camera store to get a replacement polarizer filter. Our room was comfortable and decorated with taste. We would certainly stay at the Metropoli again.

The San Lorenzo Cathedral, is from the 13th Century, and built with classic black and white striped marble facade. It is large and impressive. We also wanted to see the cloisters, which are actually located a block away.

The cloisters were also outstanding. There were two levels and the condition of the capitals and pillars were very good.

Our day to see the palazzi, unfortunately, was a write-off as there was a strike that day and all were closed. No buses, no metro, just walk and enjoy the city. Great time to grab a cab and see some of the city going from point to point.

 

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Bordighera, Italy

At one time, Bordighera was the capital of a small republic, made up of the villages in the valleys of the area. Today it is more known as the city of palms, and this town is the supplier or fronds to the Vatican every Palm Sunday.

There is a scenic old town, a great beach and a grand seafront promenade. On a clear day it is said you can see both Genoa to one side and Monte Carlo to the other. In the 19th Century this became a favorite haute of the British, touring Italy, and establishing resorts along the coast.

Bordighera is one of those great lazy Italian beach towns. But unlike Alassio, note the rocks!

We stayed at: Hotel Piccolo Lido, which is on the Lungomare Argentina. Great to stay right on the water.

 

Dolceaqua

One of the villages to visit is Dolceaqua. The town has An old humpback bridge that joins the new town to the old town across the river. The original town was part of the fedual domain of the Ventimiglia aristocracy from the 11th Century. In 1250 the Doria Family, purchased the town and area. The old town has narrow walkways that lead from the area by the river up to the top of the hill the part of the chateau hs been restored.

 

We walked the narrow streets up to the top where the old castle as been partially restored. It was not open when were were there, but the best part was to just walk the narrow streets and enjoy the town.

Don't plan to have a great meal here. The restaurants were disappointing.

 

Nice

We returned to Nice, picked up our car and met our friends Chris and Carmen Grant.

It was ten years ago that we met the Grants in Nice on the first year where we travelled together. Here is it, ten great years later.

Nice is a large city and we have had numerous visits over the many years we have travelled in France. Parts of the town are charming, parts are touristy. But there is a buzz about the place. Driving in the city is stressful.

We have written about Nice in our Travel Journal.

 

 

Frèjus

 

Before meeting our friends, we drop up from Nice to Frèus which is adjacent to Saint-Raphael. We wanted to see the famous cathedral and its cloisters.

The cloisters date from the 12th & 13th centuries and are very impressive. Additional photos and information are included on our Travels to Cloisters site.

The town, founded by Julius Caesar was at one time an important Roman naval base. It was connected to the sea by a 2 km walled canal.

We only has time to visit the cathedral and the cloisters. On another trip we will return to see the numerous remains of the Roman city that include an Amphitheater which still hosts bull fights (no thanks) and concerts. There are six arches of the former 40-km roman aqueduct remaining as well as other monuments.