Rapallo

Trip Start Jul 25, 2008
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Trip End Sep 18, 2008


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Flag of Italy  , Italian Riviera,
Wednesday, September 3, 2008

 All aboard the little red and white tourist train, we set off to discover the Principality along the Formula One Grand Prix route. With only 195 hectares (31 reclaimed from the sea), situated on a narrow coastal strip, nestling between the sea and the mountains, Monaco boasts 300 days of sunshine and it was indeed a beautiful day.  Monaco is famous for its high adrenaline activities like the Formula 1 Grand Prix. As an independent and sovereign state, the Principality of Monaco is also famous for its history, dynamism and luxury.  The Grimaldi family seized the fortress of Monaco in 1297.  Some 700 years later, the Grimaldis still continue to reign over the rock.  Following the death of Prince Reinier 111, in 2005, his son Prince Albert 11 became the new monarch. The Prince's Palace is built on the site of a fortress erected by the Genoese in 1215.  There are 32,000 inhabitants, of which 7,000 are Monegasques. (I like that word!)
Science and culture are all-important in the city and we visited the Oceanographic Museum which clings to the sheer edge of Monaco Rock on the Mediterranean Sea.  Founded in 1910 it has a vast variety of species both common and rare.  The natural and man made attributes of this fairy tale land make it a matchless place not to mention the megayachts in Port Hercule.  We then continued our journey along the rugged coastal cliffs, more hanging villages and many charming seaside resorts, through San Remo with the beautiful flowers and Genoa the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.  The Italian Riviera or the Liguarian coast extends from the French border to La Spezia.   We stayed overnight in Rapallo, set in a beautiful bay fringed by palms and orange groves.
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