Our travelogue for today is short. Since our aim is to be on a much more relaxed schedule than last year, we leave from Menton at 9am after sleeping well in our very basic hotel.

All our battery indicators are back to normal, since we’ve allowed for a full and normal charge and are looking forward to meaningful information by our onboard computer. (Since we only changed the maximum charge voltage yesterday, our computer was trying to cope with the fact that we were still able to recuperate over 500Wh into the battery although it was ‘full’ from its point of view.)

From Menton it’s only a few km to the Italian border. As usual, we like the marked difference in how a place feels just because of a few cultural differences. Italy feels alive, unorganized and proud.

Mediterranean feeling
Mediterranean feeling

 
Unusual view from a TWIKE
Unusual view from a TWIKE

 
It was part of our strategy today not to have breakfast at our hotel in France and wait until we’re back in Italy. I already wrote about my love affair with Italian coffee and Italy as a country before – if you like being part of something, this is one culture worth taking part in!

Cornetto and coffee
Cornetto and coffee

 
We continue along the coast – cruise control, relaxing, marveling at the beauty of our surroundings.

Coastal road & village
Coastal road & village

 
We eventually arrive at a place called Imperia, an old Roman town perched atop of a hill, complete with winding, narrow roads, cobblestone and an impressive cathedral. We enter the town and explore all parts with TW560, even though they are ‘zone di traffico limitato‘ i.e. for residents only.

The cathedral is very interesting and definitely worth a visit.

Imperia - 2x timeless style: cathedral & TW560
Imperia – 2x timeless style: cathedral & TW560

 
Like a drug addict, I’m inevitably drawn towards a small bar just off the main square…

Another bar, another coffee
Another bar, another coffee

 
Best coffee so far on TDAF2016!

1cl of pure & concentrated Italianità
1cl of pure & concentrated Italianità

 
Without any hurry, we continue along the coast – the levels of relaxation are difficult to describe. 🙂

TWIKEing in style
TWIKEing in style

 
From time to time we just stop because the views are too nice not to – need an example?

Another shitty day in paradise
Another shitty day in paradise

 
Every now and then we head down some single lane road towards the sea, just to see what awaits us there.

Single lane roads along the coast
Single lane roads along the coast

 
Around 12 we arrive in Diano Marina, a smaller coastal city, where we stumble across a quaint hotel right on the beach and at the spur of a moment decide that this is the place we will stay for the night.

We check into the hotel, a family-run affair. They are more than happy to give us electricity and chat at length about the many things to be seen and done in Diano Marina.

For us, however, a first thing we want to do is just walk along the beach and maybe have a little snack and a few drinks.

Sun, sea, lemonade and bread sticks..
Sun, sea, lemonade and bread sticks..

 
On our way back we discover a restaurant with many signs trying to convey that they are the choice for anyone with any kind of taste (except for pizza, which they expressly don’t have for lunch)

Restaurant trying really hard to convince us
Restaurant trying really hard to convince us

 
It worked. The food was exquisite (especially my fritto misto).

fritto misto
fritto misto

 
The rest of the afternoon, we both relax either in our rooms or (me) at the beach. The weather for this is just perfect – not too hot, not too windy.

Since JC – unlike me – likes watching football, we meet up after the first game at a bar at the shore and have some drinks and reminisce about some of our other TWIKE adventures we’ve experienced.

View from our bar
View from our bar

 
This is definitely the most relaxed we’ve both been whilst travelling…this is also why we’ve decided to stay here for another day for some extended R&R.

Looking forward to doing … nothing 🙂

TDAF2016 Day 5 GPS Track
TDAF2016 Day 5 GPS Track

4 Replies to “TDAF2016 – Day5: Italianità on the Ligurian coast”

    1. Hi Jane,
      Good to see you here, too!
      Fritto Misto: deal – A TWIKE could transport quite a lot of this Mediterranean delicacy 🙂
      See you soon!

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