Just south of the Cinque Terre villages is the tiny medieval fishing village of Portovenere. We decide to take the ferry from Manarola to Portovenere. After all our walking, it will be good to give our legs a bit of a rest for a day - although we still have to catch the train from Corniglia to Manarola which means we have 380 steps down to the station (easy)and 380 back up in the afternoon(hard!). There are passengers from a cruise ship in Manarola and it is really crowded. Down at the jetty, the cruise ship passengers are trying to get on a special ferry organised just for them. They take so long that the normal ferry cannot get in to the tiny wharf so it continues to its next stop. We have to wait half an hour for the next ferry! But this is Italy. Not everything runs perfectly to time. As we approach we can see Doria Castle high on the hill above Portovenere. It was built by the Genoese in 1161 for the wealthy Doria family. The little church of St Pietro built in the thirteenth century sits up on a rocky outcrop at the entrance to Poet's Gulf, so named because poets such as Shelly and Byron lived here. At the ferry port African traders have set up stalls selling hats, sun glasses and bags although nobody passing by is interested. The nearby restaurants are busy as it is lunchtime. We catch the boat which sails around the three islands just off Portovenere. The San Venerio lighthouse is on one of these little islands and is open only once a year to the public. Back at the marina we have a gelato and sit at a little table watching the people on the 'beach'. Suddenly a seagull lands on the wall next to me and I notice he only has one foot! He flies off and we walk up the steps to the church of St Pietro. But the overcast sky has become darker and it begins to drizzle. We head for the boat to take us back to Vernazza to catch the train home.