Kilometres walked : 15

Flights climbed : 124

Tuesday 23rd May, 2023.

Another beautiful sunny day and another lovely hike in the Italian countryside with the family. Setting off from Apricale we headed off to a little village called Berzi up in the hills. With constantly changing terrain and foliage including a lovely creek we battled our way uphill through the heat to our destination. With a surprisingly large church as our backdrop we all enjoyed the views further up the hill to Bajardo whilst relaxing and eating our lunch.

Making it back to Apricale we headed down to the local creek for a swim under the bridge to cool off and sooth our muscles. (Even Lucy got in again!) It was a hot day but a fabulous walk. Thank you Apricale and Aunty & Uncle for having us, its been beautiful. Great walks, great company, great food and great wine! Chow…

Kilometres Walked : Sunday 10km, Monday 10km.

Floors Climbed : Monday – 104

Monday 22nd May, 2023.

Returning to Apricale with my cousin in tow after our brief sojourn to the French Riviera, we started off with a hike at Rocchetta Nirvina. Bringing the sunshine back with us it seemed like the perfect day for a little swim. All five of us piled into Uncle Ray’s little hire car and we headed off to the next valley. Once again we seemed to have stepped back in time with small stone houses tightly huddled together separated by arches, alleyways and vaults. Rocchetta Nirvina overlooks the waters of the Rio Barbara which has the clearest water we’ve seen yet. Setting off on the old mule track on the right side of the river our destination was Ponte Pau, a lovely old stone bridge further up the valley. With the sun beating down on us we were certainly going to enjoy a swim at the end.

After stopping for a bite to eat at Ponte Pau we headed a little further back to Ponte Cin for a swim. The water was absolutely crystal clear. What a beautiful place with cascading pools of water travelling down the valley. Only Jason jumped in here, but once we made it back to the village Lucy and I also had a swim. And it was fresh but extremely invigorating. What a fabulous day.

Kilometres Walked : Friday 14km, Saturday 18km.

Saturday 20th May, 2023.

With some drizzle about it was a nice slow start to the day yesterday. Then just before lunch we decided to walk up to the Matisse Museum. Well obviously everyone else thought to do the exact same thing! After a nice 45 minute stroll we arrived at the museum only stupidly expecting a small line up. What were we thinking? With a line up that was at least 2 hours long to gain entry we turned around and hotfooted it back to the old town. After lunch back at the apartment we decided to check out the Photography Museum which was just the next street over. With the current exhibition being by Lionel Kazan, a fashion photographer from the mid forties to the sixties we thought that might be up our alley. And it definitely was. Lionel had a fantastic eye and we were quite impressed with his photography. It’s no wonder his work graced the pages and covers of so many magazines. My favourite photo was one of Jane Fonda back when she was just 20. She is still as stunning today as she was back then.

More wandering through the colourful streets of Nice after that then a quiet night in. (I know it was a Friday night) Today we were much more prepared and walked to the Matisse Museum nice and early and were the second pair of people in line waiting for it to open. The building itself is beautiful with that lovely rust colour and the mint shutters but I have to say the actual Matisse pieces in the museum were not really my cup of tea. Quite frankly I thought it was a bit boring. Luckily there was another exhibition currently on display by Tom Wesselman an American Artist which we both really enjoyed. The colour in his works really stood out so the walk back to the Museum wasn’t a wasted one.

A little more strolling the streets and then a venture out after dark to see all the lights. What a pretty city Nice is. Even thought its been a bit drizzly we have thoroughly enjoyed wandering around. The colours here are just amazing as are the little alleyways, shop fronts, markets and of course the sea.

Merci beaucoup Nice, we have loved the French Riviera. We have also loved that for a big busy city it is super clean and the police presence on the streets does make it feel very safe. Au revoir!

Kilometres Walked : 14.5

Thursday 18th May, 2023.

With the sun showing itself, off we went first for a stroll around the daily markets just one street over from our little apartment. With plenty of fresh produce to choose from and olives, cheese, cured meats, honey and herbs we stocked up and dropped everything back at the apartment before embarking on a walk along the Promenade des Anglais. The Promenade des Anglais meaning “Walkway of the English” runs for 7kms along the beach in Nice. Constructed at the beginning of the 19th century it is one of the most famous walks on the Cote d’Azure.

Making our way through more colourful buildings, we hit the promenade along with hundreds of other people. It’s a popular spot for running, roller blading, walking and cycling with a big wide flat path. With beautiful big ornate and art deco buildings along one side and the long pebbly beach on the other one can understand why. Lots of visitors were sunbathing on the beach but not to many were swimming. And after watching the people who did try to walk into the water I decided I wasn’t going to swim either. It was rather amusing to watch people stumble and almost fall over trying to navigate the rather large pebbles on the beach. Jason included, he jumped in the water but I decided to keep my dignity and sat down to watch. But the colour of the water was beautiful and oh so clear. Such a shame it was difficult to get in it.

Finishing off the day on our little French balcony watching all people go by. Our favourite thing to do.

Kilometres walked : Tuesday – 5km, Wednesday 12.5 km.

Wednesday 17th May 2023.

Just a short stop over in France. Leaving the country behind today we caught the train to Nice for a few days by the seaside. And what a pretty place it is. With a full fan deck of colours across all the buildings I can definitely see another million photos being taken. This afternoon’s exploration was up around the port ogling at all the super yachts. Mmm there sure is some money in that harbour. Lots of pretty colours again on the lovely little wooden boats that are more within our budget I think and is probably more our style as well.

More exploration tomorrow and hopefully some more sunshine so we can jump in the sea again. Trying very hard to remember our school French as well. So far so good! “Bonne nuit”

Kilometres walked : Saturday 7.5km, Sunday 10.6 km

Flights Climbed : Sunday – 122.

Sunday 14th May, 2023.

Gastronomic Artichoke Festival. Mmm that does sound delicious. Looking out across the valley from Uncle & Aunties balcony to a small village on the hill called Perinaldo, we decided to work up an appetite by walking to the artichoke festival. Setting off through the beautiful valley below and across a fairy tale stone bridge we then began the long ascent winding our way up an old mule track through a very pretty forest up to Perinaldo.

Perinaldo is known for its production of an Artichoke variety that was imported from Provence during the Napolionic era. The French violet variety is tender and has no spines or choke. It is grown at about 400 – 600 metres above sea level usually along dry stone walls for good drainage. The second Sunday in May see’s the village celebrate the local artichoke with a small festival. Well I can assure you the food was divine. We had a lovely artichoke dish with broad beans, peas, carrots and the local olive oil. Simple but beautiful. And a nice slice of strawberry tart to finish off. Luckily the sky cleared up in time and it turned into a warm sunny afternoon.

Perinaldo is also the birth place Gian Domenico Cassini, a seventeenth century astronomer. Using the telescope he discovered the split between Saturn’s rings now named after him. There is an astronomical observatory in the village in his honer and there are many beautiful paintings throughout the village depicting his findings.

Another fabulous walk to another beautiful village. And a well deserved pizza for dinner to finish off🍕🍷

Kilometres Walked : 21

Floors Climbed : 89

Friday 12th May, 2023.

Once again we didn’t set out to do 21 kms. This seems to becoming a bit of a habit I know! Driving along a nail biting winding narrow road with a sheer drop on one side all the while wondering how on earth we would be able to pass another car, we headed to the tunnel so we could walk into Baiardo. Uncle Ray & Aunty Marie assured us it was only about 12kms or so and would take a couple of hours there and back. Mmm I wonder what could possibly go wrong here? Baiardo is another quaint medieval village further up in the hills from Apricale. You can walk there from Apricale itself but we did a shorter version from the tunnel. Setting off with a little bit of blue sky we were on our way through a beautiful heavily forested track. After a good kilometre or 2 of very rocky uneven terrain we came out onto a much wider more even path with plenty of viewing spots through the trees. Wow how picturesque. Even with the mist and cloud sitting in the mountains it was just breathtaking. Of course then it started to hail. Only tiny pieces but hail nonetheless. Donning our waterproofs and having a chuckle we pushed on. A couple of hours later we finally arrived at Baiardo very wet and quite cold, so we headed straight for the first bar to order coffee and to try and dry out a little.

After drying out somewhat and warming up we went to explore the village. More charm, cobblestones, old stone buildings , flowers, cats, winding paths and views to the surrounding landscape. Once again feeling as though we had stepped back in time. Aunty & Uncle discovered another little cafe where we finished off with more coffee and delicious cake and warmed up some more in front of the fire before the return walk.

After a delightful stop at the beautiful little cafe we headed back to the car. Now this should have been fairly straightforward. Everything was going fine until we came to the turnoff for the last section which was the steep rocky part. Jason & I decided we should head off to the right so we could connect to the road which would be quicker and nice & flat. Uncle Ray & Aunty Marie decided they would prefer to take the track. So off we all went planning to meet up at the car. What could go wrong you say? Well we made it back to the car in about 20 minutes. Taking gear off and finishing sandwiches we waited for Uncle & Aunty. About 2 hours later they eventually turned up. Unfortunately they had taken a wrong turn up another track and went completely the wrong way. ( These things can happen to anyone) Jason & I spent 1 1/2 hours walking the other track’s trying to find them to no avail. Eventually we came back to car and debated how much longer before we needed to call the Caribineri and of course my cousins when Jason ( thank god his hearing is so good) heard voices and yelled out to them. Working out where they were I went back up the track and found them on another side track. OMG talk about being relieved. No visit to the hospital tonight! No police paperwork. And no phone call required to my cousin’s. After many hugs and warming up in the car first we then slowly wound our back to Apricale for a much needed Scotch to calm the nerves. Yes I have informed my Uncle & Aunty that they aren’t allowed to go on any excursions by themselves 😊 Sitting back now nice and relaxed we can all have a laugh about the whole ordeal and pass it off as “It’s all part of the adventure.”

Kilometres Walked : Wednesday – 5.6km, Thursday – 5.7 km.

Thursday 11th May, 2023.

Leaving the busy city behind we headed off to Apricale to spend some time with the family. Apricale is a small magical medieval village up in the hills just 30km from the border of France and 15km from the sea. When arriving you literally feel like you’ve stepped back in time. There is just one road in that winds it’s way through to the top of the village which is full of beautiful old stone houses. Little cobblestone paths and old stone staircases just beg to be explored. Tiny terraced gardens are full of fruit trees and flowers. What a pretty little place indeed.

With sweeping views over the surrounding valley and a very magical feel about the place how could you not fall in love? There’s going to be hours of exploration and million photographs taken that’s for sure.

Kilometres walked : 18

Flights climbed : 147

Tuesday 9th May, 2023.

Jumping on the train early this morning we journeyed to Camogli. A little seaside fishing village on one side of the Portofino National Park. With the intention of just doing a small walk of maybe 5km, well obviously that clearly wasn’t the case. 18kms later… Even though we are now very tired we had a fabulous day exploring the area. Making our way up the old mule track to a tiny little village called San Rocco, we stopped in at the local cafe for delicious fresh focaccia and coffee to help us on our way.

After fueling up we then set off to find the track to Punta Chiapaa. A thin tongue of rock that stretches out into the sea from the Portofino Promontory. Passing some cute little houses dotted around and a definite fixer upper that I think Jason was keen to buy, (Not happening) we came to a crossroad in the track and decided we should explore the high track first then make our way down to the ocean. Hence the 18kms! But it was well worth it for the views and scenery.

After finally making our way down the goat track we made it to the Punta Chiapaa. And what great timing it was, we were able to watch the fishermen pull in their catch. Once again the water was crystal clear and that deep azure blue. Just beautiful.

Unfortunately after you make your way all the way down there, you have to return in the same way. I’m not sure how many stairs there were, just far to many to count and I can tell you it hurt. But we did get to see the chopper drop materials off to the tiny village on the water and once we were almost at the top we found a little hole in the wall bar that had opened up. Yes cold beer here we come!

Feeling refreshed and rehydrated we made our way back down to Camogli in search of more focaccia and possibly a gelato. And what a delightful little seaside village it was. More colour, more boats bobbing in the water, more frescos, flowers, cafes, shops and a lovely pebbly beach that enticed you into that clear Ligurian Sea.

Then we took our weary legs back to Genoa to tackle the 6 flights of stairs to our apartment. Gee I’m going to enjoy my wine tonight!

Kilometres walked : 13.4

Monday 9th May, 2023.

Where does it end? Spending the day wandering around the streets of Genoa today that was exactly what we were thinking about the rows and rows of opulent and amazing architecture. Seriously it just doesn’t stop. From one building to the next we stopped and gazed up and looked at each other and just said what the!!! And of course took hundreds of photographs. Unfortunately the photos do not do the buildings justice. They are so big and so close together it’s hard to get back far enough to properly look at them let alone take a decent photo of them. The morning part of our walk took us up around some of the residential areas looking over the old city. I just love how the Italians turn big concrete block buildings into some kind of wonderful. Some have frescos painted on them, others have beautiful ornate plaster added and of course don’t forget the shutters and the little balconies. They may have to live close together (well almost on top of each other) but at least they get to look at beauty all around them.

After lunch we stuck to the streets close to the apartment and found just as much wow.

It’s such a sensory overload yet absolutely fabulous to see. And this is only a small portion of it. There are literally streets and streets of this. Once again we are in awe of the Italians in the grand way that they achieve everything.