In the morning the female half of the hotel is less sanguine. She tells us that there is a risk that the police will be called and we have to clear every sign of Nellie's presence, which means sweeping the grass with something finer than a nit comb.
Next, another day of tough climbing, but also magnificent views over the bays and promonteries of the Cinque Terre – an excellent route for keen walkers, but hell for equines. Nellie deals with everything in her path, though on one occasion when it looks as if yet another fallen tree is finally going to halt our progress She senses my nervousness and briefly refuses to cooperate. We mess around with various solutions, including trying to build a ramp, but in the end she skips over it effortlessly and makes my concerns seem completely ridiculous.
By the end of the day the heat and the heights are finally getting to all of us so we find a home for Nellie in an equestrian centre (whose owner makes our adventures seem paltry – he rode round Europe for 2 years and round Chile - when just a child - with his father) and, after some searching, a hotel near to the beach in Riva. Once again, we have discovered the quiet sophistication of these Italian beachside towns – I could stay here for weeks. We have our 'last supper' with Evelyn, over-indulge in everything we can and then sleep, sleep, sleep.
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