June 12, 2015 / by Anna
If you love Italy and you have already visited the most famous must sees, you are probably looking for some
new destination, that allows you to enjoy
the real Italian lifestyle, to see beautiful and less crowded places, to taste traditional recipes, meet local people and hear their stories.
Liguria is a perfect destination for all of this, with its fishing villages, country hamlets and the amazing coast with beautiful sandy beaches and secluded coves, not to mention hidden pearls like Genoa with its authentic medieval historical center rich in contrasts, with noble painted palaces (read more
here about the Rolli Palaces) next to incredible centuries old shops (discover more
here).
Manarola is an icon of Cinque Terre
But Liguria is also a
perfect base to visit other Italian regions, so that Cinque Terre, Portofino and Genoa can be combined with other beautiful destinations that you can reach in a maximum of 2 hours.
LIGURIA AND PIEDMONT
In a few time you can reach the
Barolo and Langhe area, famous for its
castles, wines, cheese and truffles. Rolling hills and medieval villages: Alba, with its towers will fascinate you, Barolo, Barbaresco, Serralunga and more with amazing ancient castles.
Piedmont and Langhe rolling hills are close to Liguria
This is the area
where Slow Food was born and it is the perfect set for a gourmet trip. You will discover untouched places listed in the Unesco World Heritage sites and here you can
meet local small producers. Don’t miss to taste the famous
cheeses and
hazelnuts (did you know that the famous hazelnuts and chocolate cream Nutella was born here?).
Hazelnuts are a typical ingredient of many traditional recipes from Piedmont
Not to speak about
wine! If you travel to Liguria and Piedmont, you should taste and compare the precious Cinque Terre
Sciacchetrà or the
Ligurian white wines with the famous Piedmont red wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco (yes they have the same name of the villages you will visit).
Spectacular hiking among the vineyards of Piedmont rolling hills
If you love hiking, Liguria and Piedmont should be your dream destinations: from the
steep coast of Cinque Terre, with its
trails suspended between sea and sky, to the
rolling hills covered with vineyards and hazelnut trees
in Piedmont. Each path will give you new emotions arriving to a small cellar or a medieval castle.
LIGURIA AND TUSCANY
Tuscany needs no presentation and is just next to Liguria, particularly to the Cinque Terre area.
If you are staying in Cinque Terre you can also do a day trip to take a look to the famous
Pisa leaning tower or, and I strongly recommend it, drive 1 hour and discover the beautiful fortified town of
Lucca with its 100 churches and beautiful Renaissance noble villas.
Lucca is just one hour drive from Cinque Terre
If you want to continue your trip, and you have already visited Florence, you can go on to the
Siena area. Here the beautiful
Val d’Orcia is waiting for you with its naked hills with lone cypress trees, just as medieval painters and modern photographers have represented it. You shouldn’t miss to visit Siena with its cathedral, just restored, and the beautiful towns of
Pienza and
Montepulciano. It will be a fascinating contrast to compare the colored cluster of houses of Cinque Terre fishing villages with the severe perfection of these towns designed by Renaissance architects.
Don’t miss Montepulciano if you go to Tuscany
If you are a food lover, this is a paradise for you: Pienza is famous for its
Pecorino Cheese and what about learning from an expert local chef to prepare the most famous
recipes of the Tuscan tradition? You will discover if you prefer the typical Tuscan bread or the Ligurian Focaccia!
Of course, Tuscany is also a land of
great wines and I’m sure you will find many occasions to taste them.
Enjoy a wine tasting of great Tuscan wines
Not so greedy? You can always choose to relax in one of the many
thermal places scattered around the region that is reach in natural healing waters.
Do you want to relax? Try one of the many thermal pools in Tuscany
Do they look to you as if they were different words? No, it is just the marvelous diversity of each Italian region and it is possible to taste it all in one trip. Yes, I’m telling the truth. No rush, no queues, no big groups, just the real soul of places you’ll visit. How much time you need? 8 days are enough.
Can’t wait to try in person? Check-out our special trips:
Liguria and Piedmont Culinary Tour and
Cinque Terre and Tuscany Lifestyle.
