Traveling to these cities excited me because I didn’t know much about this part of Italy and I could not wait to see it. Due to rough water, we could not arrive in Portofino by boat. Instead, we took the bus for another short road trip, like our previous mornings. On the way, we stopped at a beautiful church in Santa Margarita de Ligure. We had about an hour to look around and admire this gorgeous location basking in the sunshine before heading out.

Our group got in line for small shuttle busses, which took us to Portofino. We were on curvy roads again and the scenery was amazing…from what we could see out the windows on the packed bus. We had about an hour and a half to walk around and relax by the sea. We decided to grab coffee and treats at the water’s edge. It reminded me of being in Venice years ago staying on the island of Giudecca and having coffee outside our hostel with the water lapping against the walkway a few feet from our table.

Back in Santa Margarita de Ligure, we had time to find a place for lunch. We found a charming shop that served as a bar/cafe/lunch spot. We all tried various paninis and coffee and admired the dessert counter!

We had time to nap on our next two-hour stint on the bus to Milan. Parking outside a huge military fortification, we learned that the structure before us had been turned into four different museums. We walked in the gate, through the open courtyard, and beyond the fountain.

After crossing a busy street, we saw the square and the Duomo iconic to the city, which appeared to glow in the afternoon sun.

The megastructure to the left was once a collection of individual retailers that had been connected to shield shoppers from the elements. Now, a larger-than-life canopy covers this shopping mall area.

I was the only one who wanted to visit the church, so I stopped at the ticket office to get my entrance pass. The ticket cost eight euros and this amazing structure did not disappoint. Since the others were waiting for me, I took about 15 minutes to stroll around and snap a few pictures before meeting the group and picking out some dinner from a street vendor.

It was another long day, but we had sunny skies and amazing scenery!