Enjoying summer trips with Vicenza Outdoor Recreation

PORTOFINO, Italy - Every week, Outdoor Recreation plans trips to sightseeing locations from coasts to mountain peaks, beaches and unique hamlets, as part of the activities offered by U.S. Army Garrison Italy Family and MWR.

One of their recent destinations was Portofino, a small fishing village on the Ligurian Riviera renowned all around the world. Located on a promontory on the north-western coast of Italy, it sits approximately 25 miles from the city of Genoa, in a protected position settled most likely during the Roman Empire, which explains the origin of its name, two Latin words, Portus and Delphini (Port of the Dolphin), since -at the time- a large population of dolphins inhabited the sea.

"Portofino is beautiful, and I'm glad we got to walk around it," said Lt. Kyle Melles, of the 207th Military Intelligence Brigade. Melles, who arrived to Vicenza two weeks prior to this day trip, shared his experience along with another 40 members of the Vicenza Military community.

"I met a lot of new people today, and it was simple to go to see a new part of the country that by myself, I may not have been able to plan at this point in my stay here," he added.

After traveling by bus from Vicenza and catching a 20-minute ferry booked from Santa Margherita Ligure, the meeting point with a local tour guide was in the small port area, around Piazza Martiri Dell'Olivetta, better known as the piazzetta, or little square, the oldest nucleus of the village, now crowded with summer tourists.

After the tour guide's description about the history and main attractions, participants split up in different groups, and either followed the tour guide or independently did sightseeing before meeting again for the return boat.

"The castle [Brown] was really pretty and the lighthouse were both worth seeing," highlighted Melles echoed by 1st Lt. Samantha Lenfesty, another newcomer from the 207th MI Bde.

"This trip was a great opportunity for the people who are new to the Vicenza Military community," she said.

"You don't have to worry about anything, you don't have to have experience travelling. It's a guided tour, everything is worked out for you, it's very safe, and you have fun and meet new people," Lenfesty added.

Following the tour guide, another group had the chance to visit the Church of Saint George, perched on a cliff, a 10-minute walk from the piazzetta. Originally built in the 12th century, the church has been renovated several times, destroyed during World War II and rebuilt after the war.

From the churchyard, paved with local geometric designs made of black and white pebbles, the tour participants enjoyed a unique view, a mix of natural beauty, colorful buildings reflecting in the water and docked yachts in the bay.

"I tell people how much I love the ODR trips," said Lt. Col. Grace Kim, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa.

"I love going around Italy, especially because all of these small towns are beautiful, all have a unique character, and they are all known for something. As many small villages there are in Italy, they are all special in one way or the other," she continued.

Kim also explained how throughout her several ODR trips she found out how they take care of everything, including transportation, tour guides and tickets.

"The team at the office does a great job, the staff is very helpful, very friendly and the tour guides Lisa, Lucia, are fantastic," Kim said.

She really liked all her trips and wishes to do some more.

"I have done so many, but I am PCsing soon, and I do want to go on a couple more trips," Kim said.

Before the end of summer, Vicenza Outdoor Recreation is planning many more trips to places like the Dolomites, Cinque Terre and the French Riviera. To learn more about upcoming trips, visit Italy.armyMWR.com.

To view more photos of the trip to Portofino, visit https://www.flickr.com/photos/usagvicenza/albums/72177720318848293

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