Cinque Terre and Portofino

Slate-sheen light on the water at daybreak, gulls calling, and a drift of basil from Monterosso’s focaccia ovens: Liguria waking up. Between Riomaggiore and Vernazza, vineyard terraces for sciacchetrà (bosco grape) lean over park trails established in 1999, while the 1874 railway still tunnels through the cliffs. By afternoon you turn to Portofino: the pocket-size Piazzetta hums with boats to San Fruttuoso and fishermen mending nets; salt-burnished railings, trompe‑l’œil façades, and, 20 km east, a promise of a clear-water cove.

Your day begins at your hotel: pickup, bags stowed, and a Mercedes on standby with no clock to race. With a private chauffeur in the Cinque Terre, you hop between villages while they handle the SP370 and scarce parking; you stroll to Santa Margherita d’Antiochia, taste Monterosso anchovies or a glass of vermentino, then continue to Portofino (about 1 hour from Levanto). Flexibility built in: if seas are calm, get dropped in Rapallo to boat to San Fruttuoso Abbey, where your driver will be waiting on your return.