A brief stop in Italy before heading back to Menton, France

by Chantal & David · August 24, 2024

Having arrived back in Sanremo, David headed off to the port police to check in, and see about handing our transit log back in, to be told, a) we could only stay 1 night as they were using the quay to set up some form of celebration, and b) we had to hand the papers in literally just before we were leaving, meaning another long walk around the port, but it’s all good for the heart!

Ideally we would have relaxed to catch up on some sleep after our night sail but having to leave the following day, we pulled on our reserves deciding to catch the bus to the tiny village of Cervo which we missed on our way through. It was meant to be simple, just a 30 minute bus ride, hahaha, it should have been an omen when the first bus didn’t arrive and they were 40 minutes apart! Still we persevered, some may say foolishly…

Cervo, Italy

Cervo is a medieval gem where nature and history intertwine. The little village is perched on a gentle slope overlooking the blue Ligurian sea, surrounded by the silvery crops of olive trees and the wooded greenery of pine trees.

We have pilfered a couple of images from the internet to show you what it looks like from the sea.

Relieved to get off the bus at the right stop, we wandered up the hill though the tiny streets taking it all in.

With its beautiful Church of San Giovanni Battista. This Church shares a very curious name. In fact, locals also call it “the church of dei Corallini”. Why is it called “dei Corallini”? Because it was erected with the proceeds from coral fishing, an activity to which the name of Cervo in Liguria has been inextricably linked over the centuries.

It is one of the most interesting Baroque-style buildings on the entire Riviera di Ponente and was built over a rather long period of time: from the 12th to the 18th century and was stunning both inside and out!

We then managed, pretty quickly to jump on the bus to make our way back to Sanremo, only to find that it stopped in Imperia and no further, so we needed to get another. It was quite good really because when we stopped here a couple of months ago we hadn’t realised that the marina and the part of Imperia where it was based wasn’t in fact the true Imperia, the centre, so it gave us a little opportunity to wander into the square and grab a coffee.

The Centre of Imperia

We then returned back to the bus stop in time to catch the next bus, which failed to turn up. 40 minutes later when the next was due, still no bus and a pretty heated crowd of Italians was growing. Giving up we decided to walk to the train station, despite it being a 10 minute walk either end, we felt it was the only way we would get back to Seaclusion! Dead on our feet by this time, we simply crashed for the night.

The following morning we set sail the very short distance back to one of our favourite anchorages just outside of Menton in France and whilst we didn’t go ashore again, we did manage to take some pics of this beautiful old town, both at night and in the sunshine!