From Nuits San Georges to Santa Margherita Ligure via the mountains

After a remarkably comfortable night's sleep (all things considered) in our budget hotel and a shower in the toilet-come-shower-cubicle (with tea towels to dry ourselves on - what is it with the obsession in Europe of having tea towels instead of proper fluffy bath towels?!), we had a spot of breakfast then loaded the car and set off on our way.

We headed south towards Macon, then east towards Bourg-en-Bresse, skirting the edge of Geneva and the Swiss border. The terrain turned mountainous not long after we set out, and soon we were driving towards the Mont Blanc massif - spectacular scenery.

We stopped for a leg stretch and a proper look at the scenery just before we reached the Mt Blanc tunnel:

Our little car takes a break before the Mt Blanc tunnel - next stop Italy!

Mt Blanc.

So before we knew it we were entering Italy and making really good progress. We considered driving all the way to Pescia, but decided instead to head for the coast and have an overnight stop in Liguria.

Having communicated our progress and plans for the night to Mum via text message, she suggested we headed for Santa Margherita Ligure and the Imperiale hotel - where her Dad had stayed in 1945 when he was in Italy with the army. It seemed as good a place as any, so we headed for Santa Margherita. The Imperiale proved to be somewhat beyond our budget at €280 per night but we found the Metropole across the road was perfectly adequate for our needs and somewhat less expensive!

The Hotel Imperiale - prices seem to have gone up since my Grandpa was here in 1945...

An almost identical view as on a postcard Grandpa sent to Mum when he stayed here in/at the end of the war in 1945.

After unloading the car (into a room with a comfy bed, a spacious bathroom, a sun terrace, fluffy towels and even a real key with which to lock the room), we went out to explore Santa Margherita Ligure.

We really loved the town - which is full of lots of grand villa-style buildings, many of which seemed a little faded in their glory, but in a romantic fashion, and its setting is beautiful. I wondered what it would have been like when my Grandpa visited in 1945 and whether he had stopped at the same viewpoints.

Santa Margherita Ligure.

I can see the sea!

We relaxed over a couple of glasses of wine and free snacks in the town, before retiring to the hotel for the evening. Our next stop will be Pescia!

~ Helen