It so happened that at the time I was visiting the Italian region of Apulia (in September 2024), Francesco and Paola were there as well.
Let me clarify who this is about.
Francesco is my wonderful “big brother” (fratellone), as he likes to see himself in relation to me. I met him in 2018 in Spain when I was walking the Way of St. James. I described our adventures (including Gabriele, a Frenchman with whom I’ve since lost contact) in a series of pilgrimage stories starting here: https://www.svudapodji.com/en/spain-1/.
In the meantime, I got in touch with Paola, Francesco’s wife, first through Facebook, then via WhatsApp, and honestly, I message with her more often than with Francesco himself.
I travelled around Apulia for two weeks and, at the very end of my trip, I stayed in the town of Trani, where I met up with Paola and Francesco, and we ended up spending almost the entire day together. That was actually the first time I met Paola in person and we immediately clicked.
Later that day, while we were walking around, Paola invited me to come visit them in Riva Ligure. They live in Milan (they had invited me there as well while I was staying in Venice in December 2024, but I couldn’t fit it into my schedule), while they have a second flat in this town on the Ligurian Sea, about ten kilometres east of Sanremo. She told me they spend the entire summer there, so I could come and stay with them. And that’s where we left it.
But when I started making plans for 2025, I thought I might actually take them up on the invitation. July and August were out of the question, though that’s usually when people go to the seaside, because Francesco and Paola have children and a grandchild, and also closer friends than me. On the other hand, I have to admit that I don’t even like going to the seaside in July and August, so June seemed like the perfect choice. I then asked Paola if a week-long visit in the second half of June would work for them and then we made all the arrangements.
Even back when we were talking about it in Trani, they told me it would be better to fly into Nice rather than Milan (it’s closer), so I bought a return ticket accordingly.
And so, one early afternoon in June 2025, I boarded a plane to Nice, with the plan to take then a train to Sanremo, followed by a bus ride to Riva Ligure.
What I found interesting was that just a few weeks before the trip, I had realised I was actually going to the Italian Riviera, which is a continuation of the French Riviera. That made it sound like I was going on a luxury vacation, which made me laugh heartily, but what mattered most to me was seeing my dear friends.
Still, both Paola and Francesco enjoy being active and exploring, just like I do, and I also occasionally in the end went off on my own for little “excursions.” All in all, during this week I managed to visit quite a few places and had a wonderful time with my friends.
Here’s a map showing all the places and sites I ended up visiting during this trip:
Everything began with my landing at the airport in Nice. At first, I thought I would take the tram to the city centre and then continue to the train station, but I realised it was much better to take the tram from the airport one or two stops, depending on which terminal you arrive at (this part is free), to the area where the Nice Saint-Augustin train station is located.
This is a great system for anyone who doesn’t plan to stay in Nice, but is heading either west or east. Trains run regularly in both directions, and this way is much easier and faster than switching trams in the city in order to reach the central train station.
And so I headed east, along the Côte d’Azur, to the town of Ventimiglia, the first larger settlement on the Italian side of the border. French trains run there regularly.
This was a very pleasant experience for me because I enjoyed the view through the admittedly very dirty windows, but it still brought back memories of my wonderful one-week stay on the
French Riviera in 2022 (see: https://www.svudapodji.com/en/french-riviera-1/).
I also took a few photos in a couple of places and I’m posting them here more as a personal reminder than because there’s anything particularly good in them.
Going by train along the French Riviera
Going by train along the French Riviera
Although the whole public transport route from Nice to Riva Ligure seems fairly straightforward, somehow everything unfolded rather slowly. I had already imagined I’d have time to stop somewhere along the way, sit down, enjoy a coffee and take a break, but that didn’t really happen. At least, it wasn’t easy to organise it. Even at the Nice train station, I didn’t have time to buy a bottle of water from a vending machine because I spent so much time just getting the ticket (the line was long), and then the train arrived right away. Besides, time was ticking and I didn’t want to arrive at my final destination too late.
Once I got to Ventimiglia, I first bought a train ticket to Sanremo, and then I grabbed some snacks and water from a store inside the train station, which was quite refreshing. I waited a bit longer for the train, but it eventually arrived. However, we ended up standing still in Bordighera for at least half an hour. Later I heard that this part of the railway line apparently has only a single track, so a lower-priority train has to wait at the station until a higher-priority one passes.
Still, I made it to Sanremo and arrived at their new, very modern underground train station. But even from there, you still have to get to street level, which involved quite a bit of walking through a large and lengthy station hall.
In Sanremo, I was supposed to catch a bus to Riva Ligure, and later I realised there’s actually a stop right by the train station, but I didn’t know that at the time, so I walked to the main bus station in Sanremo. All of this sounds pretty complicated, while as it turns out, there’s actually a better way to travel along the Italian Riviera to Ventimiglia (and back), but I only figured that out on the return trip.
All in all, I no longer even felt like having a coffee, I just wanted to get to where I was going.
Still, I couldn’t resist stopping at one point in order to take a photo of the gorgeous oleanders that were in full bloom in June.
Oleanders in June
After some time, the bus heading east from Sanremo finally arrived, so I got on and that’s how I eventually made it to Riva Ligure, to the stop where Paola was waiting for me.
It was a lovely and joyful reunion.
Francesco and Paola’s flat is quite close to that bus stop, but it’s also true that Riva Ligure is a sweet little seaside town, so everything is relatively close. In other words, we were at their place soon, and I could finally relax and freshen up.
The only real challenge I had throughout the whole week was the Italian language. I spent the entire time listening to and speaking Italian, except while I was in France, where I used French. Considering there were no major misunderstandings or awkward moments, I guess I managed pretty well.
Years ago, I used to speak Italian quite well, with a solid grasp of grammar and correct usage, but I hadn’t used the language regularly in a long time, so it had retreated into some distant corners of my brain. That said, I’ve been visiting Italy more often in the past couple of years and during those trips I use only Italian – but those are tourist visits and the communication tends to be fairly limited.
Well, that definitely wasn’t the case this time. Both Paola and I are very chatty, and we thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company, with plenty of different topics and shared views, meaning we were talking non-stop. Francesco was in Milan the day I arrived, but he joined Paola and me in Riva Ligure the day after and quickly became part of the conversation too, since he’s also extremely talkative.
I really enjoyed it all and found it very pleasant, though at times I felt like my brain was banging against my skull from the effort. There were also some funny moments. Once, while talking to Paola, I wanted to say that I was sitting in an armchair, but I paused for a second to recall the word and then ended up saying armadio. Soon enough I realised the mistake and where it had come from – the English language (Serbian word is fotelja). The English “arm(chair)” led me to say armadio, which in Italian means wardrobe. So, no—I don’t usually sit in a wardrobe, but in an armchair, which is poltrona. That’s what happens when you juggle multiple languages.
Anyway, the next morning, after breakfast, Paola and I went for a walk. The summer heat hadn’t started yet, so it was pleasant for walking, though not quite warm enough for the beach.
I should say right away that I came here for a week simply to spend time with my friends, and in a completely relaxed way. As I’ve mentioned before, I had a couple of places in mind that I wanted to visit, but everything else was loose and followed the principle of dolce far’ niente. After all, I was in Italy, my second homeland, so it made perfect sense to follow the local customs.
And thus, Paola and I set out on a walk towards the neighbouring town, Santo Stefano al Mare, and along the way I occasionally felt inspired to snap pictures of various little details.
Riva Ligure, a detail
Paola suggested that we walk along the beautiful path designed for cyclists and pedestrians called the "Riviera dei Fiori" Cycle Path, which runs just about 50 m from the building where their flat is located. It was a brilliant idea, so that’s exactly what we did. Along the way, I also recorded a little stream we crossed over, home to many frogs that I had heard from my bed the night before.
Riva Ligure, a detail
So, the "Riviera dei Fiori" Cycle Path isn’t just for cyclists, it’s also meant for pedestrians. It’s about 32 km long and connects the towns of Ospedaletti, Sanremo and Imperia, with plans to extend the path even further. It’s basically built along the former railway line that once linked Genoa and Ventimiglia, and today it’s a very easy route both for biking and walking.
“Riviera dei Fiori” Cycle Path
Occasionally, you can see the coastline between the houses, and our plan was to walk back right along the sea.
View from the “Riviera dei Fiori” Cycle Path
But, let me explain here how the “Riviera dei Fiori” Cycle Path got its name. The stretch of the Italian Riviera from Grimaldi di Ventimiglia, right on the French border to the west, all the way to Cervo in the east, that is, the entire coastline in the Province of Imperia, is called the Riviera of Flowers (Riviera dei Fiori). The reason is that this Ligurian coast has a relatively flat and narrow strip along the shore, followed by rising hills and then high mountains further inland. This hilly and mountainous area behind the coast protects it from cold winds and winter temperatures, providing an exceptionally mild climate with little rainfall and plenty of sunshine. Historically, this climate was ideal for growing olives, but over time it became clear that it was perfect for flower cultivation.
You only need to watch the famous music festival held every early spring in Sanremo, where the stage is almost overflowing with the most beautiful floral arrangements, to understand that this area is truly god-given for flower growing.
Even the flowers that grow almost wild along the bike-and-walking path look absolutely enchanting.
“Riviera dei Fiori” Cycle Path
Santo Stefano al Mare existed already in Roman times as an estate and it functioned in that form throughout the feudal period as well. Over time, it grew from a small village into a town and it’s quite a charming place where I have been several times, though I rarely took photos.
Santo Stefano al Mare, a detail
We somehow most often ended up at a café that has a terrace with excellent shade and, importantly, great coffee.
Santo Stefano al Mare, a detail
After a very pleasant break, Paola and I slowly started heading back to Riva Ligure, this time, as I’ve mentioned earlier, following the pedestrian path right along the coast.
Coast between the towns of Santo Stefano al Mare and Riva Ligure
Coast between the towns of Santo Stefano al Mare and Riva Ligure
That’s how we reached Riva Ligure, where we took a little stroll before heading home for lunch and an afternoon rest.
Riva Ligure, a detail
Riva Ligure, a detail
And after that afternoon rest, it was time for ice cream. There’s a fantastic gelateria in Riva Ligure, Paola, of course, knows them all, and I had promised myself I would eat ice cream every day while I was in Italy. That’s exactly what happened, except on the second-to-last day when I had two servings. The only reason was that the owners had to close on Sunday for a family celebration, and I needed to keep up my average.
Ice-cream in Riva Ligure
Ice-cream in Riva Ligure
Then Paola and I decided we needed another walk to burn off some of those ice cream calories, so we headed back to Santo Stefano al Mare. We strolled around the town a bit, and then returned to that café to refresh ourselves. It’s not good to be walking all the time and it’s wise to balance it with moments of rest, leisure and pure hedonism.
Santo Stefano al Mare, a detail
Of course, the two of us chatted incessantly and it was the same on the way back. By the time we reached home, the sun was already nearing sunset, casting a beautiful light on the tower of the nearby church.
Riva Ligure, a detail
A little later, Francesco was supposed to arrive by train from Milan. I was looking forward to reuniting with my wonderful fratellone, my “big brother.”