Apricale, Liguria

we were given a Smartbox gift set for an overnight stay with breakfast, to which we added another two days. We chose the destination Apricale, "the vertical village", and afterwards we understood why. We come from our Po Valley, which couldn't be flatter, into a marvellous medieval village that I had no idea existed, intact with its hamlets all on a slope, narrow and with vaults, galleries, ups and downs, steps. Here we stayed at the Munta e Cara hotel diffuso. Exceptional, with rooms scattered around the village, in an ancient setting, with all modern comforts. A tip for anyone who wants to stay in one of these rooms: watch your head, the doors are low; my head knows something about it. Of course you have to be fit to go to your room and go down to breakfast, in a common room for all the rooms. Breakfast excellent and plentiful, we were really comfortable.

Another village worth a visit is Dolceacqua, similar to Apricale, perhaps a little better kept. Triora, the village of the witches, only worth a visit. Bussana Vecchia, destroyed by an earthquake, where now only artists live.