Buongiorno from Liguria, a rugged limestone coastline that sits in front of a mountain range reaching up to 2,650 meters in altitude. That’s quite some height compared with Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain, which reaches just 978m. The dramatic verticality, where the Alps and Apennines seem to dive straight into the Mediterranean, provides endless running and climbing opportunities.
Every few miles a seaside town, often at the bottom of a steep hill covered in hairpin bends, provides a historic centre, a ubiquitous Lidls, and a beach – sometimes pebbly and sometimes sandy.
The towns vary greatly in personality, from high-end boutique shopping centres where trendy couples strut around in Armani, to more edgy agricultural and commercial centres dominated by a larger population of locals and immigrants.
Finale, about 15 minutes east of us, is a an epic climbing area with a concentration of more than 4,000 routes. Developed and super popular in the 1980s, it is famous for its technical slab and wall climbing. The area later went out of fashion when climbers wanted to get onto steeper Spanish walls.
It was initially quite disconcerting listening to the Italians shouting “die die die” at each other as they climbed, until we learnt it is roughly translated as “go on!”. 🤣
The urban area of Finale is really beautiful, with one of “Italy’s best preserved historical centres” Finalborgo up the road – a walled regional capital in the 12th century. Although jaw droppingly stunning, it was packed with tourists and outdoor enthusiasts, particularly mountain bikers.
On our way here we visited an old ghost town Bussana Vecchia, evacuated 1887 when a massive earthquake struck the region. The damage was so severe the Italian government declared it uninhabitable. It lay empty for decades before international artists took over the village in the 1960s, effectively as squatters. Now, it is being renovated, mostly funded by the artists themselves.
On our way back we found that the main road was closed and decided it would be a great idea to take the weaving hairpin bends over the valley. If we have nine lives then I am surely in deficit by now. Vertical drops, no barriers, crumbling tarmac and precipitous bends that required a 5 point turn provided us with more excitement than we wanted. When we got down we both had a little cry.
Overall we have loved being in this area. Last night we finally got out to have a real pizza. We have learned enough Italian now to really confuse folk and last night the restaurant manager spent quite a lot of time creating a VAT receipt for us when we just wanted the bill.
Really awesome pizza. They take their pizza so seriously here you have trouble finding fresh pizzas in the supermarket. Only the best will do!
We plan to stay here for a couple of days, do some more climbing, before heading east to briefly visit the posh bit of the coastline. We hope everyone is well at home. We miss you ❤️ 💙 💜
is there poodle in my noodle 
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