Waking in Paradise - Views You Can Only Dream Of - Cinque Terre, Portovenere and Fiascherino Liguria
What ever activities you would like to do, Liguria, especially around the hilly Fiascherino, Lerici, and Cinque Terre area, has it all! Apart from the usual summer activities of swimming, sailing, and all other water sports, you can find all year around sports like golf, walking and cycling.
I know of no other place, where all three could give you such pleasure and self achievement, than this very narrow, not very well-known region, called Liguria.
With its enchanting and old architecture, this region is surrounded by sea, dramatic rocky shores, high mountain views, unspoilt Interiors which surely will transport you back in time.
The delightful all year around mild climate is another 'God's gift to help to make sure that you will be drawn back to this region time and time again...
Not to mention the mouth-watering local gastronomic dishes, which you can find in the smallest and most unpretentious places! Luckily and because of its terrain it is still somewhat difficult to reach, even though there are two major airports to aim for, Genoa and Pisa.
Lerici, Fiascherino and its surrounds is still unspoilt by mass tourism, and is little known outside of Liguria.
It will most probably appeal to the discerning and adventurous traveller who wants to have it all in one, exercise, stupendous sea and mountain views, fabulous and varied food, culture, architecture, sophisticated life and people rolled into one! Walking in Cinque Terre, which is sometimes called the 'walkers paradise', as it has no other parallel place, in my opinion, certainly in Europe, with such blessed scenic views, dramatic heights, stunning sea and mountain views coupled with tiny old villages with the almost incomprehensibly terraced vineyards perched out above the sea, giving a vertigo to even the most experienced walker! The adrenaline is equal to a bungee jumping, but you do not even need to jump! Not surprisingly, this is a very popular and well known walk, called the 'Sentiero Azzurro' (Blue Trail), it follows all the way down to the sea from Riamaggiore, the first old village you come to right down to the fifth, called Monterosso.
Starting from Riamaggiore from a quaint old square and walk on to the 'Lovers Trail', beware it is a common place for marriage proposals! We walk its entirety with the stunning view around overwhelmed by all this natural beauty.
This walk is an absolute must for a coastal view and will start your holiday with such an accelerating experience.
It has another advantage being not very strenuous, rated only to moderate level, it probably will take 5 hours or so, and is 14 km long walk, 220 meter above sea level.
Of course, there are many other walks around you could do.
Another which is not very far from the 'Lovers Walk' is Portovenere, where the view is spectacular but this walk is really for the experienced, as it is 35 km long and 750 meters above sea level.
It is true as every walker would know the higher you are the more beautiful the views are and the harder it is to make it up there! But the views will more than compensate you for your efforts! But if you really want to take it easy and stay local to Fiascherino, there are options you can choose from.
You need to find the track in Tellaro and walk right down to the bottom of the hill to Lerici or find the track up to Serra as you walk down from Fiashcerino hill toward Lerici.
Serra is exactly above us and is another old, small village above Fiascherino.
These walks are well sign posted and easy to find and would suit most amateur walkers like me who only want to experience the view rather than exhaust themselves in the process.
However, you will need walking boots, what ever you do; water, and the usual binoculars to take full advantage of what is around you.
Happy adventures!
I know of no other place, where all three could give you such pleasure and self achievement, than this very narrow, not very well-known region, called Liguria.
With its enchanting and old architecture, this region is surrounded by sea, dramatic rocky shores, high mountain views, unspoilt Interiors which surely will transport you back in time.
The delightful all year around mild climate is another 'God's gift to help to make sure that you will be drawn back to this region time and time again...
Not to mention the mouth-watering local gastronomic dishes, which you can find in the smallest and most unpretentious places! Luckily and because of its terrain it is still somewhat difficult to reach, even though there are two major airports to aim for, Genoa and Pisa.
Lerici, Fiascherino and its surrounds is still unspoilt by mass tourism, and is little known outside of Liguria.
It will most probably appeal to the discerning and adventurous traveller who wants to have it all in one, exercise, stupendous sea and mountain views, fabulous and varied food, culture, architecture, sophisticated life and people rolled into one! Walking in Cinque Terre, which is sometimes called the 'walkers paradise', as it has no other parallel place, in my opinion, certainly in Europe, with such blessed scenic views, dramatic heights, stunning sea and mountain views coupled with tiny old villages with the almost incomprehensibly terraced vineyards perched out above the sea, giving a vertigo to even the most experienced walker! The adrenaline is equal to a bungee jumping, but you do not even need to jump! Not surprisingly, this is a very popular and well known walk, called the 'Sentiero Azzurro' (Blue Trail), it follows all the way down to the sea from Riamaggiore, the first old village you come to right down to the fifth, called Monterosso.
Starting from Riamaggiore from a quaint old square and walk on to the 'Lovers Trail', beware it is a common place for marriage proposals! We walk its entirety with the stunning view around overwhelmed by all this natural beauty.
This walk is an absolute must for a coastal view and will start your holiday with such an accelerating experience.
It has another advantage being not very strenuous, rated only to moderate level, it probably will take 5 hours or so, and is 14 km long walk, 220 meter above sea level.
Of course, there are many other walks around you could do.
Another which is not very far from the 'Lovers Walk' is Portovenere, where the view is spectacular but this walk is really for the experienced, as it is 35 km long and 750 meters above sea level.
It is true as every walker would know the higher you are the more beautiful the views are and the harder it is to make it up there! But the views will more than compensate you for your efforts! But if you really want to take it easy and stay local to Fiascherino, there are options you can choose from.
You need to find the track in Tellaro and walk right down to the bottom of the hill to Lerici or find the track up to Serra as you walk down from Fiashcerino hill toward Lerici.
Serra is exactly above us and is another old, small village above Fiascherino.
These walks are well sign posted and easy to find and would suit most amateur walkers like me who only want to experience the view rather than exhaust themselves in the process.
However, you will need walking boots, what ever you do; water, and the usual binoculars to take full advantage of what is around you.
Happy adventures!
