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The Cinque Terre, Portofino<br />
& the Italian Lakes<br />
8 days from £969 April, May & August<br />
DAY SEVEN: You leave Santa Margherita<br />
and travel north, following a slightly<br />
different route to take in the cathedral<br />
city of Pavia. Pavia rivalled Milan as the<br />
capital of the Lombard kings until the 11th<br />
century, but was then ruled variously by<br />
Austrians, Spanish and French. There were<br />
100 medieval towers, just two remain – but<br />
there is still plenty to see! You arrive at<br />
Lake Maggiore in the afternoon, for one<br />
night, again on a half board basis. Total<br />
today 152 miles, mainly motorway.<br />
DAY EIGHT: Free time until your transfer<br />
to the airport and your return flight.<br />
This Italian holiday takes you to the millionaires’ haunts of Portofino and<br />
Santa Margherita Ligure and the spectacular landscapes of the Cinque<br />
Terre and Lake Maggiore, perhaps the most impressive of Italy’s sparkling<br />
lakes. Along the way you will travel on the picturesque ‘Three Valleys<br />
Railway’ into the heart of Columbus’ maritime city of Genoa, and visit<br />
Pavia, a medieval city with a Visconti castle, and whose cathedral boasts<br />
one of Italy’s largest domes. While in Santa Margherita, you will enjoy a<br />
boat trip to Portofino and a train journey through the Cinque Terre.<br />
• 3 nights hb Lake Maggiore, 4 nights hb in Santa Margherita Ligure<br />
• Visits to Portofino, the Cinque Terre, Genoa and Pavia • Journey on the<br />
historic Three Valleys Railway<br />
PROGRAMME<br />
DAY ONE: Flight to Milan, transfer to your<br />
hotel on Lake Maggiore for two nights half<br />
board accommodation. Transfer times<br />
from Malpensa and Bergamo are 45<br />
minutes and 1 ¾ hours respectively.<br />
DAY TWO: Free day to explore Lake<br />
Maggiore. Why not take a boat trip on the<br />
lake?<br />
DAY THREE: Today you travel south to the<br />
Riviera di Levante. Your first stop is Vercelli,<br />
a historic town surrounded by paddyfields<br />
(its rice is exported worldwide). You<br />
then continue south to Casella, north of<br />
Genoa, arriving after lunch to board the<br />
‘Three Valleys Train’. Since 1929 the red<br />
and white carriages of this narrow gauge<br />
service has linked Columbus’ home<br />
city with the villages and valleys of its<br />
hinterland. The trip down to the city takes<br />
about an hour, and there are excellent<br />
views of the coastline. In Genoa you will<br />
see something of the restored port and<br />
old city centre before you complete your<br />
journey by coach to the chic resort of<br />
Santa Margherita Ligure, where you spend<br />
four nights on a half board basis.<br />
Santa Margherita lies in a sheltered bay,<br />
close to Portofino. Its harbour is home to<br />
many luxury yachts. The journey today is<br />
160 miles.<br />
DAYS FOUR TO SIX: In Santa Margherita<br />
with included excursions by boat to<br />
Portofino (half day) and by train to the<br />
Spectacular Cinque Terre (full day).<br />
Portofino: like the millionaires, you<br />
travel to the world’s most beautiful<br />
harbour by boat (15-minute trip) from<br />
the landing stage just 500m from your<br />
hotel. Portofino’s colourful hotchpotch of<br />
fishermen’s houses embraces its harbour<br />
and the luxury craft of the nearby villaowners<br />
– Portofino is the select retreat<br />
of Italy’s powerful! Above the harbour is<br />
Brown’s Castle, and there are good views<br />
from the church. You can see why Disney<br />
copied it – the original is stunning!<br />
Cinque Terre: the spectacular coastline,<br />
hills and villages landscapes of the Cinque<br />
Terre are UNESCO listed and within the<br />
National Park, where the mountains drop<br />
almost vertically into the sea. You will<br />
travel by the train from Santa Margherita<br />
(the station is 600m from the hotel).<br />
The ‘Five Lands’ are about an hour away,<br />
and comprise the unspoilt traffic-free<br />
villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia,<br />
Manarola, and Riomaggiore, which nestle<br />
in tiny coves, set below the ingeniously<br />
terraced vineyards that, together with the<br />
fishing, gave the area its livelihood.<br />
YOUR HOTELS<br />
LAKE MAGGIORE HHHH,<br />
(first two and last nights)<br />
Accommodation on Lake Maggiore will<br />
be in a hotel owned by the Zacchera<br />
Hotels Group in the lakeside resorts of<br />
Baveno or Stresa.<br />
GRAND HOTEL DINO (Baveno) (http://<br />
grandhoteldino.com/en/)<br />
HOTEL SIMPLON (Baveno) (http://<br />
hotelsimplon.com/en/)<br />
HOTEL SPLENDID (Baveno) (http://<br />
hotelsplendid.com/en/)<br />
GRAND HOTEL BRISTOL (Stresa) (http://<br />
grandhotelbristol.com/en/)<br />
All hotels are four-star with airconditioned<br />
rooms with safe and<br />
minibar, swimming pool (seasonal), wifi,<br />
restaurant and bar. Final hotel details will<br />
be sent with your travel documentation<br />
ten days before departure.<br />
HOTEL JOLANDA HHH,<br />
Santa Margherita Ligure (four nights)<br />
The Hotel Jolanda is ideally located<br />
in a quiet street in the heart of Santa<br />
Margherita, just 200 yards from the<br />
pedestrianised town centre. The<br />
boat stop and railway station are<br />
8-10 minutes walk away. Rooms are<br />
comfortably furnished with bath/<br />
shower, wc, hairdryer, minibar, safety<br />
box, and satellite tv. There is a garden<br />
area, fitness room, safe, spa area and<br />
wifi (charges apply to the last two).<br />
(www.hoteljolanda.it)<br />
A WALKING HOLIDAY is also available<br />
from this hotel. Please ask for a copy<br />
of our Walking <strong>Holidays</strong> brochure or<br />
visit preferredts.com.<br />
Please refer to the enclosed ‘Dates and Flight Information’ for details of departure dates, prices and flights.<br />
www.preferredts.com | 17
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