Spring is definitely here, and for what could well be the last hike of the season, we went back to Montegrazie. The landscape around the church, itself visible all over the valley, offers spectacular 360 deg views of sea, forest and mountain, that we never get tired of enjoying.The boat is due back from the boatyard soon, and I guess our focus will shift to sailing rather than hiking
08.04.2024
We were due to go hiking in Mercantour over Easter, but the weather forecast was horrible, so we cancelled. Fortunately, it cleared for Monday, and we went to Isolabona for a hike to Apricale, which is quite well-known for its picturesque location. We did a 12km mainly on (empty) roads, which was smart given the amount of recent rain. The track took us through and around Apricale, so we got to enjoy the view from all angles
02.03.2024
The last couple of weeks the weather has alternated between torrential rain and lovely warm and sunny. This is good news for the garden, as you can see from the pictures. But when we get a heavy downpour, the front garden overflows, because the 60sqm upstairs terrace just drains onto the grass. To improve the situation I dug a 90cm deep drainwell and filled it with 340liter of Leca stone, which is very light and porous. So far it seems to have worked a treat
20.02.2024
Two weeks ago we got 120-140mm rain in just 24hours, but now the weather is absolutely beautiful with temperatures of 17 deg. Obviously, we went hiking. This time we went to Borgo d'Oneglia on the scooter and did a really nice 8,7km round-trip with views south towards Imperia. Later we soaked in the outdoor bubble-bath for an hour to finish of a great weekend
13.01.2024
We will be in Torino all next week, so we thought we might as well get out and get some air today. The weather was a little cold and damp, so we did a hike mostly on the roads from Boscomare over Pietrabruna and back. It's not far from home and we've hiked this area before, but not this exact route
31.12.2023
Today it's raining and the garden really needed that, but yesterday it turned out nice and we decided on one more hike before New Years. We started from the west side of Imperia and went up the hill through some really impressive villas to Diano Gorleri, with nice views all the way over Diano Marina to Cervo. On the decent we passed the wonderfully excentric Villa Grock (must visit with Birgit) before coming back down to Imperia
28.12.2023
Just before Christmas we managed to squeeze in another hike, this time a short 8,3km trip starting from Porto Maurizio (the west side of Imperia) up to Poggi, over the new bridge, up again to Santa Croce al Monte Calvario and back. We have been at the church before, there is marvellous view over Imperia, so we stopped here for lunch
10.12.2023
It rained all day on my day off on Friday, but now it's back to normal, so we went out for a walk. We didn't go far as we started from Civezza just west of us and went on an 8,5km roundtrip north-west. Some trails we had done before, but it's getting difficult finding places we haven't been locally. We have booked a hiking holiday to Parc National du Mercantour, just across the border in France for Easter 2024
02.12.2023
Last night a terrible storm almost blew our house away, but today it's nice and quite and 14deg again. So we went for a hike, this time a 12km roundtrip from Caramagna Ligure - Moltedo - Montegrazie - Santuario di Nostra Signora delle Grazie and back. On the way through Imperia we bought 4 large tins of paint (14l each),so we can decorate the kitchen-dinner in my Christmas holiday
28.11.2023
Earlier this month we went up Monte Sette Fontane on a beautiful hike with great vistas, that takes you back down pass Nostra Signora di Lampedusa church. We also put the bubble bath back up for the winter, now that electricity proces have normalized. This weekend we were in the garden, but on Saturday we went out for dinner to celebrate my birthday at Terramare in Taggia, which was a very pleasant experience indeed
01.11.2023
We had a couple of holidays and the weather was nice, but too windy to take the boat out. Fortunately, hiking is one of our favorite things and more suited to this kind of weather. I found a really nice 10km route from Pontedassio, just north of Imperia on the SS28 towards Torino, through small villages, olives and forrest
06.03.2023
Valle Argentina runs from Triora at 780m altitude to Taggia by the sea. The only road (SP548) in/out is great for a motorcycle ride, and there are several lovely cities on the way (Badalucco, Isolalunga and Montalto Ligure). This weekend we decided to go all the way to Triora (42km) for a hike. There are a couple of Roman bridges, and the city is quite spectacular, perched high in the mountains. After a week of low temperatures and high winds, the weather this week is the opposite
13.02.2023
I don't think we ever started a hike from the beach, but there is a first time for everything. This weekends hike was in the breathtakingly beautiful landscape around Cervo, about 30min from home. You can see San Giovanni Battista (the church in Cervo) for miles. In fact, the first picture in the gallery is on the SS1 coastal road before you decent into Diano Maria, and you can see Cervo almost 6 km away at the right side of the picture
26.01.2023
After a long period of mild weather, it's finally turned cold. So cold in fact that we had ice on the lawn one morning, which is really rare.
It obviously takes more than a little cold to deter us from going hiking. This time we went around Verezzo which is north of Sanremo, up in the mountains. The cold also gives us beautiful sunset and an excuse (as if we needed one) to light a fire and have a nice aperitivo
15.01.2023
We were in Badalucco with Birgit when she was here in September 2022 and we did a hike up Madonna della Neve in November 2020, but it's such a beautiful area and we wanted to come back.
There are a limited number of hiking tracks and the mountains are quite steep which make it challenging for us. I designed a crazy figure-eight route that was hard to navigate and climb in places, but we did have another excellent day out
05.01.2023
We had an absolutely wonderful time over Xmas and New years, but the weather in Denmark isn't great this time of year. So when we came home to 19 degrees and sunshine we had to go out for a hike - in fact we did two. Tuesday 9.5km north-west of Dolcedo, one of our favorite areas, and Wednesday an 8.5km round trip with spectacular views from Montegrazie past Santuario di Nostra Signora delle Grazie
24.10.2022
Santa Maria Maddalena del Bosco is not exactly what you would call accessible; in fact the last couple of kilometres were a little too off-road for our scooter. Hidden high in the mountains above Taggia, it is however a wonderful picnic destination, with loads of seating, barbeques and running water. Apparently popular with horseback riders, the church and trails were completely deserted when we visited in glorious autumn weather (26C but hazy)
09.10.2022
The weather forecast said Saturday would be the last summer day - and in fact it rained on Sunday. Time for a hike around Costa D'oneglia. Most of the 11km hike was on nature trails, even if we started just on the outskirts of Imperia crossing the motorway within the first couple of hundred meters. It was a bit hazy, but the views over Diano Castello and Diano Marino was still quite nice
13.06.2022
Last Thursday we did a bit of team-building at work and went on a hike (no, not my idea) up to Jervis Willy (Villanova) close to the French border. The hike starts in 1.200m and ends in 1.700m, but is relatively easy. It is also very beautiful with lovely mountain views, rivers and waterfalls. In Italian style we had a big lunch before heading back down and some of us were tempted to dip our toes in the freezing cold water
21.03.2022
We didn't get any rain to speak of and the strong winds that we have endured for almost three weeks continue, but the skies cleared and we went for a hike! I found a route northeast of Pietrabruna that looked interesting if a bit challenging at 13km with 480 height meters. It was a long 4km accent but a wonderful walk none the less, crossing points we've been before without too much repetition
12.03.2022
The weather forecast is for rain tomorrow (we need it), so we snug out for a hike today. We didn't venture too far, just between the two local towns of Cantalupo and Borgo Sant'Agata. This is in the small valley behind Imperia, an area where we haven't really been before. It's a nice mix of lovely ancient olive trees, a little bit of forest and scattered houses to look at. All just a short drive on the scooter from our house
07.03.2022
You guessed it; we have been out for another hike! The weather has turned back to normal: it's a little cooler and we even had some much needed rain. I found an 11km route in one of our favourite areas around Dolcedo - Prela - Vasia with a trail we (mostly) hadn't been down before. This truly is beautiful country and we love going through the quaint little villages as well. This time of year you have the trails to yourself; there is absolutely no one around
21.02.2022
The weather is still unseasonably pleasant, so of course we were off on the scooter for yet another hike. This time we walked between the local towns of Piani, Torrazza and Carramagna. As always, we stumbled across several small churches and ancient bridges. Someday I'll plan a route that takes us past as many churches as possible, kind of like when you played 'spot the Beetle' in the car as a kid
06.02.2022
The start of 2022 has been surprisingly dry and warm, so now that the bathroom is finished we thought it was time for a hike. We have started doing some of our previous hikes 'in reverse' and decided on Civezza - Torre Paponni this time. We got on the wrong track out of Civezza and had to double back, but it was a nice day out so adding a few kilometres didn't really matter
12.12.2021
Another weekend, another hike. This time northwest of Prelà, where we have been before, in fact I think we now covered all the tracks in the area. The weather was beautiful and there is so much to see around here with tiny little villages, forest and spectacular views. It's stunningly quite, so quite in fact that we had our lunch on a low wall right off the main road
06.12.2021
We have seen the Santuario di Nostra Signora delle Grazie on many of our hikes around the valley and on Sunday we decided to start from there. The views are absolutely amazing, over the valley, into the mountains and out over the ocean. The hike was very good, not too difficult, and we had a wonderful 4hours on the 10km route, including the obligatory 30min lunch break
07.11.2021
Bibi is still in Mallorca, but I needed to get out of the house, so I went hiking on my own. I choose an 11km route from Catellaro past the wonderful church Santuario Nostra Signora di Lampedusa to the 781m summit of Monte Sette Fontane. The ascend was long but not too steep (two cars went up!), but the descend was quite challenging. The view from the top was worth it though - 360deg of mountains and ocean. A good 4:30h hike and an excellent day out in windy but decent weather
24.10.2021
While Lars & Helle drove home to Denmark, Bibi and I went for the second hike of the week. We did the beautiful 14km Rosso (Red) route from Prelà with Lars & Helle on Monday. Yesterday we did the equally wonderful 10km Dolcedo - Trincheri - Bellisimi round trip we first walked in February 2021, this time counter clockwise and starting from Dolcedo. Amazing that you can still manage with shorts and t-shirts this time of year
07.06.2021
We passed 25C for the first time this year this week, so it looks like summer is finally here. We decided to get one more/last hike in and went up the mountain northwest of Taggia, crossing the roman bridge at the start, and ending back in the cosy old town of Taggia. At 13km and with a climb of 540m, it wasn't the easiest of hikes and took us 4:30h including our lunch break. Once home we took a good long soak in the bubble bath!
10.05.2021
We have done many hikes in our local area, as I'm sure you will have noticed, and yesterday we went around Vasia and Castello Prela which turned out to be one of the best hikes so far. The terrain was very varied, with few steep ascends despite still being a respectable 380m uphill. There was forest, olive groves, narrow tracks and small villages, water posts and the weather was beautiful: perfect day out for us
24.04.2021
There are few places left within scooter-distance (30min) of our house to go hiking where we haven't been, but I managed to find a lovely 10km round trip in our neighbouring valley around Moltedo and Montegrazie. The views are just as spectacular as around Pietrabruna and the hike was a little easier than last week, which was nice since the weather was warm (20C) and sunny. We had our picnic lunch at the highest point (517m) and took some great pictures
18.04.2021
Pietrabruna is at the bottom of our valley and the views over the landscape towards the Mediterranean are quite spectacular. It's about 30min away on the scooter and we've done most of the possible hikes around there but managed to find some trails that we haven't done before. We're still "orange zone" lock-down (2nd highest category), but the you can get a takeaway from the cafe (in San Lorenzo al Mare)
15.03.2021
Last weekend we took our walk along the coast and in the marinas looking at boats. This weekend we were out again at Laghetti Lecchiore a series of small ponds formed along a river, where apparently the locals like to swim in the summer. Over Easter a nationwide lockdown is expected so we stocked up on garden supplies so we have something to do. Since we can't go to the restaurants, I thought I'd attempt a stone backed Italian style pizza on the gas grill, worked a treat!
02.03.2021
To keep ourselves (relatively) sane during continued lockdowns, we head out in nature given the opportunity. We can still explore our immediate area, so we took the scooter to Trincheri for a hike in the Lecchiore area northwest of the lovely little town of Dolcedo, 30min from our house. Including a lunch break in the woods, we had a lovely 4:30h walk in above average for February weather conditions, and using the GPS, we didn't get lost this time!
21.02.2021
The weather turned from quite cold (low of 2C last week) to sunny and 16C, so we went for another hike, this time a round trip between our neighbouring towns of Terzorio and Pompeiana with a significant detour up the mountains (11,7km and 4:10h). The views from up there are quite spectacular as you see the Mediterranean Sea and the coast stretching out to both sides. On the way back on the scooter we stopped in San Lorenzo al Mare for an ice cream, a coffee and a Coke
07.02.2021
We finally had a chance to get out of the house, so yesterday we took a long walk from Civezza via Tarraza to Dolcedo and back. It was supposed to be 12-13 km, but we got off track following my phone GPS app (never again) and ended up doing 15.7 km. My feet were a little sore, but it is beautiful terrain for hiking and there is a lot to see around here
08.11.2020
Piemonte is unfortunately back in lock-down, so our plan to collect some furniture in Torino was obviously cancelled. Instead we went hiking from Badalucco up to Madonna della Neve. A very nice walk, but quite hard at 10,6km with a 593m climb to the top. With a lunch break it took us 4:30h. A really good day out and warm enough (22C) that we could travel the 20km to Badalucco on the scooter
04.02.2020
If you say "Barolo" most people think of some of the best and most expensive red wines in Italy - if not the world. But to us it's also a wonderful little historic town only an hours drive from home. The area surrounding the town of Barolo offers some beautiful scenery and great opportunities for walks. This time we had a unusual mix of fog and sunshine that made for some stunning views along the 12-13km route from Barolo to Castiglione Falletto and back
27.01.2020
The weather continues to be very nice in Liguria, so we still go out hiking getting a bit of fresh air in the weekend, while the air quality in Torino is really poor for the third week running. More and more often we stop at La Calamita in Bagnasco for dinner on Sunday night on our way home, because the food is good, warm, plentiful and incredible affordable (usually 20-25 euro for two)
06.01.2020
I think it's fair to say that we finished the holidays in style.
First we did a 12km hike from Boscomare to Pietrabruna with a 30min lunch break on a lovely hill top in the sun with amazing views over the mountains. Then a nice hour long soak in the hot tub - and to finish of the day a homemade Swiss cheese fondue!
02.12.2019
When your house is facing the Mediterranean it's easy to forget that the forest is right behind you. But we can - in fact - go for a hike right from our front door, so on Saturday we did. When we got back there was still time for a dip in the hot tub before we went to dinner at a restaurant recommended by our builder Marco, called La Pignatta d'Oro in Torre Paponi 30min from our house
11.11.2019
We stopped in Prela to get a drink about two months ago on our way home from collecting the hot tub. We both thought it was a nice cozy town and when we spotted a sign with hiking routes, we agreed to return and Saturday we did. We took the Percorso Rosso (Red Route) which was listed as 10km (13 km om my GPS) but with a few detours we did almost 15km. Absolutely lovely day out as you can see from the pictures
23.07.2018
We haven't been back to the UK since we left in January 2015; so when I got asked to go to a conference near Birmingham, Bibi went with me and we took an extra few days off. Besides seeing old friends, we also had time for a hike to Man Tor in the Peak District which was one of our favourite places, and a visit to the Roman baths in Bath, which we somehow missed while we lived in the UK, but is a must-do if you're interested in Roman history
10.10.2017
It's been another lovely warm autumn weekend in Costarainera. We had hoped to go sailing on the last whale watching tour of the year from Imperia, but unfortunately it was too windy so the sailing was cancelled. Instead we went for a hike around Costarainera and Cipressa. Oh, and we finished yet another door (only four more to go now)
17.01.2016
We can see Monte San Giorgio from our house, so naturally we had to go see if the opposite was true (it isn't). Monte San Giorgio is one of the "little" mountains (840m) that rarely get any snow in winter, and is in-between Torino and the Alps. We have re-started hiking quite a bit this winter, and can do a fair distance (say 15km), but we're still testing our height capacity, and this walk was 425m height-meters - easy up, a bit more difficult coming down.
24.10.2015
Lago di Ceresole lies almost 1,600m up in the mountains on the boarder of Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso, on the SP460 - a road that leads nowhere. It's a beautiful man-made lake, and we first came here in December 2014 as a short break from apartment hunting in Torino. It's an easy 9km walk around the lake and including a lunch stop it took us just 2.5h.
07.09.2015
Half an hour's drive from Torino is the Parco Naturale Laghi di Avigliana, with two beautiful lakes and a magnificent mountain backdrop. There is a rich wildlife with fish, birds and turtles. It's a two hour walk around both lakes, and we brought a picnic to enjoy afterwards, but there seem to be a few nice restaurants, so maybe we'll try that next time.