Levanto: village and valley
When I first arrived in Levanto it was winter. I wanted to try surfing in Italy and all the weather information gave the best conditions for that day.
Once on Via Dante I began to feel a good feeling. It was energy and serenity at the same time, difficult to explain …
I keep walking and straight at the end under the arches of the old railway I begin to glimpse the sea, I feel like running for a moment but immediately my gaze is captured by the Staglieno square with the gardens that open at the end of the street.
I look up and see the houses that are perched on the east face of the valley, everything seems so in its place that even to imagine it could not have been thought better in my head.
I feel like running from one point of the square to the other, I turn around and see an alley that climbs up behind the gardens, curiosity is very high but the sea was the goal and so I go on, I pass under the arches and … it’s not possible … if you were looking for a graphic definition for the word “bay” or “gulf” you could only draw it like this.
Everywhere the gaze frames the horizon it looks like a postcard, I can only think that this is the perfect place, at least for me.
The wind is blowing and the sea I hadn’t imagined so furious but I’m not cold, this place warms me like a tailored coat and embraces me with a rare beauty.
More than twenty years have passed since that day and, technically, I have never left there. I live as much as I can in an attic three minutes walk from that feeling that has never left me.
Levanto and its valley with the villages hanging from the ridges as when decorating the houses in the nativity scene offers a Mediterranean nature full of aromas and brackish air, delicious wines and many stories. Walking here in the scrub and holm oak woods overlooking the sea is a gift and a unique experience.
Come with me to discover the history and nature of the village and its valley.
Val di Vara, the biological valley
The valley crossed by the longest river in Liguria is an oasis of wild nature, impervious ridges, history and local agricultural production attentive to the best production techniques in harmony with the territory.
Its many streams radiate this land that becomes emerald green. Its ridges parallel to the sea in the hinterland of the Cinque Terre make it a counterpoint in the culture and life of these areas.
Traces of medieval settlements, parish churches and castles characterize the panoramic points of the peaks of the various ridges and the passes testifying to networks of exchanges between the coast and the hinterland in a fusion of culture, folklore and gastronomic products that fades towards the Lunigiana while maintaining continuity, a legacy of centuries of stories.
In my exploratory journey I rediscovered ancient routes and one to which I am particularly proud and passionate because it connects Levanto with the hinterland in a breathtaking crossing of the Val di Vara. The Via de Pontremulo.
Val di Vara is a journey into authenticity, into the genuineness of the people who live there and that is reflected in a simple cuisine but with attention to detail and attention to products that immediately express the love for things done well, such as one time.
Here time stops and takes you back to a distant but true life.
Cinque Terre, the villages of the Unesco heritage
The five most famous medieval villages in the world, the most incredible and spectacular.
This strip of coast is proof that Man can be able to ally himself with Nature and build something truly special with her.
From the sea or the mountains, every angle is a snapshot that you will carry forever in your heart. The terraced coast upstream in the villages is the perfect setting for a world that seems magical but which must be discovered in the history of the people who created and still inhabit these medieval corners suspended between land and sea.
Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore united in beauty but different in their conformations and histories.
A culture that ranges from anchovies to wine, from the sea to the mountains united in willpower and tenacity.
The visit of the villages cannot be separated from trekking, today as in the past these places must be conquered, they must be deserved to understand them in their intrinsic relationship with what surrounds them.
Come with me to discover the Cinque Terre along the vertical paths, terraces, sanctuaries, enter the picture and become part of the most evocative Unesco cultural heritage.
On your way from the sea to the mountains we can also organize:
- Local wine tasting
- Honey tastings
- Cooking class (pesto and other recipes)
- Boat excursions
- Sup excursions
- Rafting
- Canyoning
- Surf
Contact us below for any information and start organizing your trekking trip!
At a slow pace in the magic of nature!
Find out here how the new tailor-made Trekking service works and to start planning your adventure fill out the form below!
+39 347 48 88 858