I Left my Heart In Portofino

// Part 2 //Portofino, the Italian Riviera – June 2014

Having made up our mind a bit late on this trip, Hotel Splendido  was fully booked and so we stayed at its sister hotel, the Splendido Mare. To make it up for us, we were given a suite which we declined in favor of a room with a breathtaking view of the spectacular harbour, the 15th century Castello Brown and the beautiful surrounding hills.

And that wasn’t all…the bonus was its terrace ,

ideal for a room-serviced breakfast

The concierge recommended we have the afternoon tea at the  Splendido, and dinner at the Mare. It sounded like an excellent plan so we let him go ahead with the booking.

Excellent plan yes but up there, once I stepped down off the shuttle that zigzags uphill and downhill between the two hotels, I fell under the spell of the stunning panorama and had a change of heart…I was reluctant to stick to the initial plan: I preferred to prolong our stay and have dinner where we could feast our eyes as well as our taste buds. And that we did…

***

However despite its unparalleled beauty, it wasn’t the Splendido that triggered my emotions…strangely though it happened at the Mare, when we returned.

Once back in our hotel room, I went to the bathroom for my nightly skincare routine, but abruptly stopped it and did a rushed U-turn towards the door as if I were under hypnosis . “Speak Softly, Love”, the soundtrack of  “ The Godfather”.

I could hear it as our “room with a view ” was above the restaurant !! This unexpected combination of many favorites – song, movie, Italy- was the culmination and the greatest finale to this extraordinary night, a night to remember…

Having lost my ability to speak, I got hold of my husband’s hand and dragged him towards the small balcony where we could feast our eyes as well as our ears…Wishing the singer will never stop, I basked in the magic of the moment, oblivious to the tiny droplets that were finding their way slowly down my cheeks.