After leaving my Venice hotel (which is a destination in itself, especially for meetings and conferences), I went to the car park, paid 60 euro for two days' parking, and drove to one of Italy's best kept secrets. 

This is a village called Camogli, 20 km east of Genoa, with its 'small tall' old buildings and its pretty harbour. 

I went to see Luca Moretti and his wife Lucia Oliva, who I had first met in Bahrain during the Bahrain International Travel Exchange (BITE) in May. They own and run a tailormade tours operation (see www.tripudium.it). 

The couple  organized my accommodation in the beautiful Stella Maris Hotel, which can be accessed only by boat. It has a special attraction for artists and poets; the famous English poet Lord George Gordon Byron stayed in this hotel for several months in 1821.

On arrival, I was met by the manager Chiara who gave me a tour of the hotel before showing me my room. 

I had dinner with my friends and will meet them again tomorrow. I know it will be an amazing day.

Later tomorrow, I will be travelling to a small village south of Florence to meet a group of people who share the same idea of promoting friendship across cultures.

A personal tip for anyone who visits Italy - you must make it a point to visit Camogli. Trust me, you will not regret it.