(July 2016) Fezzano – Portovenere (w/Salto Suocera)

Moving on to the end of July 2016, it was the week of the natural swimming pool, so of course our goal was to hike to Portovenere and swim to Palmaria Island. For the first time, we ventured to the lookout point of Mt Muzzerone known as “Jump of the Mother in Law”(!).. and it was absolutely stunning. It was hard for the 17 of us to stand too close to the cliff ledge, as it led to a sheer drop of more than 200 metres into the sea. You would need to be one witch of a mother in law, to survive here!

From La Spezia to Portovenere/Palmaria

(July 2016) From Moneglia to Scoglio dell’Asseu

Catching up with the lost hikes, it was mid-July in 2016 and the clear sky granted us plenty of sunshine and neat views from Moneglia to Riva Trigoso; from our lunch spot and below our umbrella, we could see our ultimate goal (the Asseu cliff), which we eventually reached, after passing by the Baffe tower and an ominous sign warning us that there may be hikers along the way. Scary!

From Moneglia to Scoglio dell’Asseu

(July 2016) Rapallo-Mt Pegge-Montallegro

Catching up with the lost hikes, it was July 2016 and, as every year, Rapallo was getting ready to pay tribute to the Virgin Mary (who allegedly appeared on the Montallegro hills in 1557) with 3 days of celebrations. Needless to say, the chosen hike was Rapallo-Montallegro; to make it complex, we reached the shrine by hiking on the higher Mt Pegge… and found plenty of overgrown vegetation, that had us cry “ouch!” quite a few times. But all’s well that ends well: we had a relaxing and panoramic lunch on top of Mt Pegge as well as everything else afterwards. Including the three rounds of fireworks and the burning of the castle at night.

From Rapallo to Mt Pegge

(June 2016) Hiking from Spotorno to Varigotti

Catching up with the lost hikes, we move on to June 2016; this time, our hike was in Ponente; many lookout points accompanied us along the path from Spotorno and the fortified town of Noli to Varigotti. However, none of them was as memorable as our lunch spot: with the blue sea as backdrop and a cave to shelter us from the heat, the Cave of Brigands (just below Capo Noli) was like a theatre from heaven… and there was plenty of space in the theatre, to welcome the 33 of us!

From Spotorno/Noli to Varigotti

(May 2016) Hiking to Mt Treggin & Bargone lake

Catching up with the lost hikes, it was (again!) the end of May 2016; this time the quest was quite ambitious as it involved a long loop from Casarza Ligure. Reaching the peak of Mt Treggin (870mt) meant enduring a rather steep hike in warm weather, however the top was pleasantly cool; we could enjoy our lunch break, with views over the Sestri Levante inland (as far as to Portofino and Mt S.Nicolao), before moving on to the “EE” rated Roccagrande ridge and the Bargone lake, which allegedly dates back to the Ice Age. Horses and a very muddy trail awaited us, on the way back to Casarza.

From Casarza to Mt Treggin and Bargone lake

(May 2016) Hiking for focaccia di Recco, from Ruta

Catching up with the lost hikes… it was the end of May 2016 and it was a short hike (“trail of the 2 gulfs” from Camogli to Recco), since we had just walked the day before, from Deiva to Framura. Nevertheless, the path had its challenges and its rewards, as we could enjoy some memorable views over the Paradise and Tigullio Gulfs first… and, later, free focaccia di Recco (and the queueing wasn’t too bad!)

Hiking for Recco focaccia

(May 2016) Discovering the new Framura promenade, from Deiva

Catching up with the lost hikes… it was the end of May 2016 and we hiked from Deiva Marina to Framura on a sunny Saturday: as we were 17, it was ruled out that we would fit a minibus to Castagnola; instead, we walked on the coastal blue-green path via Punta Apicchi. It turned out to be a good choice, as the sea had glorious colors, Alexis could slap a high five with the lion of Anzo, the hiking party had plenty of time to wander across the hamlets of Framura, as well as have a brave swim in its crystal-clear waters. Ah, and we beta-tested the brand new seafront promenade of Framura, which connects the beaches of Torsei and La Valla and allowed some of us to have two swims with one hike.

Hiking to the new Framura waterfront