by gabrielelagona | March 8th, 2009
View From a Cinque Terre
The Italian Rivera climate is pleasant all year round, even when the rest of Europe are already experiencing a cold winter. Because of this, the Italian Riviera is able to offer a number of sports all year long. Along the coast, one can enjoy water sports such as sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, scuba diving, water skiing, and kitesurfing among many others. But for those who would like to enjoy the green hills of the Riviera, the inland area offer the best conditions for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
The Italian Riviera or Liguria to the locals, is the home to seventeen protected areas. The Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre offers a breathtaking view of the sea and it also has a protected marine area. The Five Lands, or Cinque Terre where the park is located, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Cinque Terre comprises of five multicolored villages - Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. These villages are surrounded by steep terraces which are created over the centuries by the farming communities. If you want to stretch your legs and go hiking, then you will find this area enticing. The criss-crossing hiking trails in the park connects each of the five villages and are pretty easy to follow, so even if you are a newbie, this should be an easy task for you. You can walk sections of the route and when you’re tired, you can always join up with the train or the boats. You can purchase a Cinque Terre card in order to use all the hiking trails, the local trains and boats in the villages.
Not far off you will find the promontory of Portofino where one can find the highest concentration of flora in the Mediterranean. The famous Marine Reserve is also found here and it attracts more than 5000 scuba divers annually. In the inlands, one will find the Parco Naturale dell’Aveto. This park contains a rich environment with the Mines of Gambatesa still operating and can be visited by special train.
If you are up for a challenge, the trail at Alta Via dei Monti Liguri is most recommended by professional hikers. The 400 km trail stretches along the ridges of Ventimiglia to La Spezia and is suitable for anyone who wants to travel on foot, horseback or mountain bike. The views in the area are reminiscent of the old world with visible signs of peasant life found along the trail.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Related posts:
- Cinque Terre Paradise: Wine, Gelati, and Hiking It’s not surprising that the combination of sunshine, beaches, hiking...
- Italian Riviera Romance Romance in the Italian Riviera Oohh lala! If there is...
- The Italian Riviera - Things to do and see [caption id="attachment_74" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="View of Genoa"][/caption]Located at the arm...
- Italian Riviera Nightlife With the sheer number of resorts in the area, you...
- Pet Friendly Things to Do in Genoa, Italy Your pets typically are more like family than animals....
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
