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Despite the urban nature of some of the larger cities such as San Remo, Imperia and Genova, the Riviera also offers plenty of opportunities for hiking and trekking enthusiasts. To begin with, there is the famous mountain hiking route, ‘Alta Via dei Monti Liguri’. It leads from Ventimiglia on the French border all the way to La Spezia and stretches over more than 400 km. Thousands of walking enthusiasts take to this path every year and maps and hiking guides are available through the tourist office. The most beautiful part of this trek is in the Maritime Alps, at the Monte Toraggio, some 15 km away from Dolceacqua. The stillness, the solitude and the intact nature, stand in attractive contrast to the lively way of life found on the coast. Here you can simply relax and loose yourself in your thoughts.

Another route takes you from Toirano near Albenga across the mountains Colle di Nava and Colle San Bernardo di Mendatica in the hinterland of Sanremo to Rocchetta Nervina, which is 5 km away from Dolceacqua. This route takes you past medieval villages, ancient castles and isolated churches, some of which are open to visitors. There are also specially designed walking routes covering many places of historical interest. Nature enthusiasts will not be disappointed as the area has a unique and rich mix of flowers and plants to offer. There are lavender, gentian, wild roses and raspberries. Partridges, mountain hares, marmots will join you along the way and you may even spot the odd Golden Eagle.

Both routes are not too demanding. Once you have ensured you have appropriate shoes, warm clothing and some general fitness, there is nothing to stop you from having a glorious hiking experience. The hiking routes are all marked according to their level of difficulty. This way you have the chance to choose a route matching your personal fitness level. If you are a beginner or would just like to go for a pleasant walk, you should avoid routes marked as EE (Escursiosni Esperti) and EEA (Escursioni Esperti con attrezzature). These routes are quite challenging and on EEA’s you would even need full mountain gear including safety harnesses and pitons. If you decide to complete one of the routes described in the guidebooks, you could choose to sleep every night in another guesthouse or idyllic hotel. Or you can organize your route such, that you will return to your car or to a bus stop from where you can return to where you started.

There are more beautiful hiking tours when following the high routes towards the sea. Here, you sometimes walk on ancient trade routes, formerly used to carry salt, dried fish and olive oil into Piemont. These routes usually start and finish in Porto Maurizio/Imperia and as you are walking along the ridges, you will encounter spectacular views over the surrounding valleys. The sea will lie far below, offering panoramic views you will never forget.

The local tourist offices can provide you with further inspiration and information.

If you are prepared to drive a little further, we can highly recommend the Riviera di Levante, one of the prettiest hiking areas in Italy. The mountain range of the Monte Portofino is south of Genova, between Camogli and Santa Margherita. Here, the local nature reserve offers stunningly beautiful hiking routes, meandering through the Mediterranean vegetation, olive groves and farmer’s gardens. As you are always walking in close proximity to the coast, beautiful views over the sea await you everywhere. The level of difficulty is rated as medium and the walks rearely take longer than three hours. So even beginners can give it a go. Especially recommended are the routes from Ruta via San Rocco and Portofino Vetta to Portofino. If you are opting for one of these excursions, a visit to the pretty villages of Camogli and Portofino is strongly recommended.

Portofino in particular is a picture perfect coastal resort and a real treasure on the Mediterranean coast. Throughout history famous personalities such as Richard Lionheart, Fridrich Nitzsche and Emperor William II liked spending some time here. And even today, the “Port of Dolphins” (Portus Delphini) is known to be the playground for the rich and famous. Here, Madonna celebrated her 51st birthday and Jennifer Lopez and Eva Mendes were recently spotted going for a swim. In 1999, the Universal Studios rebuilt the village on a scale of 1:1 in Orlando, Florida.

The popularity Portofino enjoys among the stars, has led to property prices shooting to such high levels, comparable in Europe only to Paris or London. But sipping a cappuccino whilst taking in the view over the picturesque harbor, is still affordable and second to none.

If you are a gourmet and don’t mind driving a little further, we have a very special suggestion for you. Between the 4th October and 9th November, a well-known truffle festival takes place in Alba. It is one of the culinary highlights of the North Italian autumn. Although Alba is no longer part of Liguria but of the Piemont, it is in easy reach by car. When taking the Autostrada 6 from Savona, it takes little more than one hour. But something really special awaits you in the small town with the beautifully maintained medieval centre, where between the 4th October and the 9th November 2009, everything evolves around the aromatic truffle bulb. The region surrounding Alba is renown for it’s abundance of truffles and the white truffle (Tuber Magnum Pico) can only be found here. Over time, the auctions taking place as part of the festival, have seen prices rocketing. In 2007, a buyer from Hongkong paid 143,000 Euro for a lump of white truffle, weighing 750 grams. It comes as no surprise that you will frequently meet wispy truffle dogs and their owners, trying to hunt down this delicacy. Surrounding the auctions are plenty of other activities such as cookery classes, concerts, exhibitions and competitions.

One highlight is the big donkey race in Palio degli Asini, which is the unofficial opening to the festival on October 4th. In medieval times, when many north Italian towns were constantly fighting each other or were members of different alliances, Alba and the neighboring Asti, were enemies too. In the year 1275 in the battle of Roccavione, those siding with William VII, King of Thessaloniki and margrave of Montferrat of which Asti was a part of, won a decisive victory over Karl I. of Anjou, King of Nepals. Alba had sided with the latter. In celebration of their victory, the inhabitants of Asti held a horse race (Palio) outside the walls of Alba. In return, the Albesi also held a race but as they intended to mock the enemy, they took to donkeys instead. Today, these old animosities give plenty of reason to hold colorful and historical festivities in which different parts of the town compete with one another. Before the start of the Palio, the more than thousand participants move in a colorful procession through the beautifully decorated old town. Prices not only await the fastest donkey but are also awarded to the prettiest costumes.

Another attraction is the traditional truffle-Bacchanal in which the locals, dressed in historic garments do some cooking and hold medieval games. Each year, the festivities attract gourmets and members of the high society alike and this year, Prince Albert of Monaco will attend the official opening on 10th October. But the festival does not only attract gourmets and jetsetters. Thanks to the many attractions and the carnival-like atmosphere, the races and colorful dresses, children will have a great time too.

 This newsletter gives you a few ideas of what awaits you on the Riviera di Fiore and there are of course many more ways to spend your time here. Many villages hold small harvest festivals and the more glamorous resorts such as Sanremo, Monaco and Nice are still vibrant, showing no signs of hibernation.

The TERRA ITALIA Team wishes you a wonderful time in Liguria.