Hannibal Raids Italy

Why wouldn't you have such a picturesque landscape as your desktop wallpaper! The colors are so vivid and yes, it does make one wonder how captains didn't plunge their boats into the coast!

If Florence is the "hole" of Italy, then Portofino must be its jewel. All the pictures I have seen of this place are absolutely stunning! Pictures of Cinque Terre also remind me of Santorini (I'd like to give my thanks to the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants!). I love that wikipedia calls this the "rugged portion." How can anything be described as rugged when used in the same sentence as a "Italian Riviera"? I must say, as an introduction and first stop in Italy, Portofino definitely makes an impression! Did you read that Cinque Terre is a national park and that it has a Street of Love?! How does a street receive such a designation? :) Something to think about.

I'm torn. This excursion sounds absolutely wonderful--except the part where it says visitors will need to walk 2 miles. You know how I feel about walking/hiking long distances! But aside from my apparent physical laziness, did you check out "The Taste of Ligurian Riviera" excursion? For someone who loves castles as much as you, I thought that this one would be awesome! Just like the Cinque Terre excursion, you take a little motorboat to St. Margherita and Rapallo. The description says that as we stroll the ancient streets, we will "view a 16th-century castle that was built as a defense against the Saracen raids. Originally, this complex was connected to the land by a single span Roman bridge. According to legend, Hannibal crossed over this bridge during his invasion of Italy." Hannibal? Raids? Invasion? Sounds like a good time! We'll also visit Sestri Levante, a place praised by Dante and Petrarch.
How pretty is this? And this excursion includes lunch! ARG! What why the tough decision? Why can't it just be like ugly vs. pretty? Instead of pretty vs. pretty?