In September of 2015, we cycled in Piemonte and hiked in Liguria, Italy
We couldn't decide this year, whether to do something old or something new, so we did both. We spent the first two weeks of September in the Piemonte Region of Italy discovering new places, and the second two weeks in Liguria revisiting places that we loved fourteen years ago.
The Piemonte Region of Italy is famous for its wines, including Barolo, Barbera, Barbaresco, Grignolino, and Asti Spumante. We have visited the wine regions of France and Germany, but we have never experienced such a concentration of vineyards. They are absolutely endless in Piemonte! They extended from the valleys to the top of the mountains.
We cycled for two weeks in the area, visiting Alessandria, Acqui Terme, Alba, Asti, Casale Monferrato, and numerous hilltowns. We were constantly asked why we were visiting this area. Tourists are rare! We were certainly two of the very few English speaking people. The first weeks our luggage was transferred from town to town, by Cyclomundo. They also provided GPS tracks for the challenging routes each day. The second week we rented an apartment in a resort in Terrugia, and cycled loop rides around the hilltowns.
Our last two weeks were spent in the Liguria Region (known as the Italian Riviera). It consists of the five fishing villages of Cinque Terre, and stylish Portofino and Santa Margherita, with pebbly turquoise coves backed by dramatic cliffs and pines. In addition to hiking in the Portofino National Park, we also hiked in the vineyards (on the high trails) between the five villages. This area provided quite a contrast to Piemonte with lots of tourists and higher prices, but was still very enjoyable!
We were fortunate to enjoy perfect weather for the entire month - sunny, warm with blue sky and light breezes most days. Took the usual rain gear with us, but were happy to never use it!
Select a picture below to see our photos
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ABOVE - 9/1,2 - Around the Old City of Alessandria
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ABOVE - 9/3,4 - More Alessandria and surrounds
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ABOVE - 9/5 - First cycling day - Alessandria to Acqui Terme
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ABOVE - 9/6 - Second cycling day - Acqui Terme to Alba
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ABOVE - 9/7 - Third cycling day - Alba to Asti
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ABOVE - 9/8 - Asti rest day
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ABOVE - 9/9 - Fourth cycling day - Asti to Casale Monferrato
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ABOVE - 9/10 - Fifth cycling day - Casale Monferrato to Alessandria
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ABOVE - 9/11 - First Terruggia cycling day - Alessandria to Valenza to Terruggia
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ABOVE - 9/12 -Second day in Terruggia - Rainy rest day in Terruggia
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ABOVE - 9/13 - Third Terruggia cycling day - Terruggia hills and Casale Monferrato
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ABOVE - 9/14 - Fourth Terruggia cycling day - Santuario di Crea
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ABOVE - 9/15 - Fifth Terruggia cycling day - Local hike on a cool, rainy day
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ABOVE - 9/16 - Sixth Terruggia cycling day - Terruggia to Rosignano and Cellamonte
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ABOVE - 9/17 - Last day of cycling - Conzano, Camagna, Vignale and Frasinello
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ABOVE - 9/18 - The adventure continues in Santa Margherita!
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ABOVE - 9/19 - Hike over Monte di Portofino to Portofino Harbor and back
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ABOVE - 9/20 - Hike from San Fruttuoso to Santa Margherita
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ABOVE - 9/21 - Hike to Santuario di Montellegro and walk around Rapallo
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ABOVE - 9/22 - Exploring Santa Margherita
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ABOVE - 9/23 - Hike over Mt.Ruta to Punta Chiappa, up to San Rocco and Camogli
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ABOVE - 9/24 - Vernazza, one of the five villages of the Cinque Terre
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ABOVE - 9/25 - Hiking the high trails from Riomaggiore to Manarola to Corniglia
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ABOVE - 9/26 - Boat excursion to Portovenere and the islands
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ABOVE - 9/27 - Walk around Monterroso
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ABOVE - 9/28- Hike from Corniglia to Vernazza to Monterosso
