The Way of Salt

by Ilaria

I decided with my son and my husband to take a break from work and have a trip by foot.

My son, who is 14, has always shared with us the passion for one day trips and excursions in the nature. He suggested that we could go for this trip on “The Way of Salt”, because he heard about it from a classmate whose parents are part of a group of excursionists of Varzi. The itinerary called “The Way of Salt” finds here its origin, going from the Apennines to the Ligurian sea.

So we planned our weekend and we decided to go from Torriglia (Genoa) to the Promontory of Portofino. We chose this itinerary because it is the only one that has as final destination one of the most suggestive places of our beautiful Italy!

Let’s say that this experience went beyond our expectations! The landscape wasn’t the only thing that surprised us, with its amazing view of the mountains and of the blue sea at the horizon, but also the surrounding nature, the silence of places and the wild animals, that made us live unique emotions.

Like when we saw unbroken horses on Monte Bado that were grazing and enjoying the sun comfortably laying on the grass despite what I’ve always thought… Or the sighting of magnificent roe deers looking at us while we were passing, opening wide those marvellous big eyes, that remined my son of Bambi from Disney.

During our shot but intense trip, we spent the night at the Caprile di Calcinara Hotel, where we have been welcomed with a warm, sincere hospitality (rare in these days). This, combined with a delicious dinner made our stay unforgettable. On the following day, with a packed lunch made for us by the hotel, we proceeded to the last part of our trip, from Colle Caprile to the Regional Park of Portofino.

It was amazing, with a breathtaking view on Golfo Paradiso and of the Tigullio one. Incidentally, it’s important to remember that there are deviations also for Rapallo and Santa Margherita.

We, as scheduled, went down to the Promontory of Portofino and we deviated to the South, going down the stairways and the “creuze”, tiny streets that bring to the sea, in the middle of flowered gardens and ancient villas, until we arrived to the characteristic maritime hamlet of Camogli. We laid on the beach and we waited for the sun to go down in a suggestive sunset…

Among the numerous sensations that remain of this magnifique experience there is also the one that concerns our relationship with time, that in our daily life seems always to slip away… To do a trip by foot means to slow down and to get back a natural balance with the world and with ourselves…

So I recommend you to try! This experience is highly recommended to anyone that love nature and especially respect it, and to whom want to have a holiday in Liguria that is different from the ones of the mass tourism.