A Tarzan Weekend in the Ligurian Hinterland: an Outing to Tavarone – Part I

Coloured houses wrapped in flowers against a blue background: that is usually how we picture Liguria. Yet this wonderful region also has a different, lesser-known face, but no less fascinating, which could be painted like this: colourful villages wrapped in flowers against a dark green background. In the magical balance between coast and hinterland, between beaches and heights, between panoramas that open up when you look upwards and those reserved for those who tackle climbs and hairpin bends to conquer a breathtaking view of the mountains and the sea, this time we chose to explore the dark green soul of the area.

Less than twenty kilometres from Sestri Levante are enough to reach Tavarone, today a hamlet of Maissana, an important reference point for travellers since the earliest times. It is thought that the place name Tavarone derives from "tavernone" or "tabernone", that is, tavern, in the sense of a resting place that in Roman times hosted travellers, pilgrims or merchants in need of rest.

In a sense, this vocation of Tavarone has never changed: even today the village is a favourite destination for travellers seeking relaxation, but also for those who, after weeks in the office, want to get back in shape with various outdoor sports. We are in the Val di Vara, a wild territory of great charm where we can come across surprising round villages, walk trails already trodden by prehistoric man and admire silent little towns that have for centuries guarded endless woods inhabited by rich wildlife.

Sport has nothing to do with it, but at Tavarone there is, or rather there was, a San Siro too: it was a locality known for the church of the same name, mentioned as early as the notarial deeds of the 12th century. The present parish church, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, was instead built around the 1600s and is also known for its fine wooden choir of 1715.

After a nice walk through the centre we head towards the Giandriale locality, where after about two kilometres we reach the Agriturismo Giandriale and the Val di Vara Adventure Park. After settling into our lodgings, set in a beautiful stone farmhouse, we go to discover the organic farm, which extends over a good 150 hectares at 700 metres above sea level.

In our group there are also a couple of children aged seven or eight and two irrepressible daredevil kids. We could not have taken them to a better place: we are exactly in that "jungle" every budding Tarzan dreams of, but here everything is still much, much more beautiful, scary and exciting. Forget a couple of vines and that's it: at the Adventure Park, whose logo features a friendly wild boar from the nearby woods trying its hand at a zip line, you only have to look up and everywhere you see people climbing or walking in mid-air among the leaves of the trees.

Walking along little logs can be tricky for some even when they are firmly planted on the ground, let alone when they are hanging ten metres up in the air. You may even find yourself longing for the times, perhaps still somewhere imprinted in our DNA, when we lived in trees: with the skill we had then, we would have found it easier to tackle the pirate's ladder, the suspended barrels, the trapeze bridge or the breathtaking Tibetan bridge.