Travelling through Europe means crossing mountains and border lines, lines that have – for whatever reason – survived the medieval warlords who drew them in the sand centuries ago, but also rivers and mountains that, once almost insurmountable, have continued to divide tribes and nations for thousands of years.
Borders such as the mountain range that stretches from the Pyrenees in the west to the Carpathians in the East. In antiquity, it separated the Roman Empire from the lands of the barbarians, in the Middle Ages, Protestants from Catholics, and in the 19th century, it stopped the industrial revolution from advancing into what (for a long time) remained a predominantly agricultural South.
This mountain range reaches its highest and most forbidding peaks in the Alps …
… which is, consequently, where the differences between relatively near-by towns and villages on either side of the divide are at their starkest.
Take Liguria and Piemonte, for example: two neighbouring regions in north-western Italy which share between them the southern foothills of the Maritime Alps – and, beyond that, little else. Travelling to the resort town of Limone in Piemonte on a day trip away from the South is like visiting another world.
Surprises in crossing mountains and border lines in Piemonte
No matter whether you are coming from the French or the Italian side of the Maritime Alps: the state frontier between Liguria and Piemonte is the only border in the area that really counts.
In Limone, the mountains are more lush than in the south …
… and more intimidating at the same time – some are still snow-capped, even in mid-June …
… and most of the houses that you see would look alien a short train ride away, in Menton or Ventimiglia.
Even the colours are different.
Our brief excursion into the proto-Alpine landscape of southern Piemonte also reminded us for how many country walks at home we had not come across …
… grazing cattle. (Or heard the jingling of cow bells.)
Just like most of the villages on the southern rim of the maritime Alps, Limone is a resort town, but one whose infrastructure has been engineered for the winter rather than the summer season.
Over here, skiing is the main show in town.
Limone’s town centre is only about 1000 metres high, roughly at the same level of some of the higher Ligurian hilltop villages, but patterns of wind and precipitation ensure that it is much colder and wetter here, particularly in winter.
It is said that, as a rule of thumb, if you want to find a town on the southern flank of the Alps with the same level of snowfall as a town in Piemonte, you have to climb to an altitude that is roughly 50 per cent higher.
Limone’s town centre is small but charming …
… and on the central Piazza, there is even a little bit of an “Italian” atmosphere.
In summary: a walk through Limone and the surrounding countryside is the perfect “little escape” for anybody who is growing tired of the Riviera’s coastal resorts and Ligurian hilltop villages.
Having said that, however, I need to add that the trip also suffers from one or two drawbacks.
Above all, you will be the prisoner of a highly unfavourable train schedule (unless you come here by car, of course). There are only two daily trains from Ventimiglia to Cuneo.
If you do not want to extend this into an overnight trip, you must take the first train out (10:37 in the morning, arrival at 12:31). Return on the second train, which leaves Limone at 15:17. Which will not give you much time to explore town and countryside.
Here is what we did. Following a brief walk around the town centre, we made our way out of town on a small country road called Via San Giovanni, in search of a taste of the Alpine landscape.
There are many hiking trails in the area, you will spot some tempting signs along the way, but unfortunately, these trails are not on the day trip menu which only allows for the briefest of tastings.
Limone is a bit of a sprawl, but after about 15 minutes, it suddenly opens up …
… and you get some pretty spectacular Alpine views.
Just before the Via San Giovanni takes a sharp left turn – after roughly 1.5 km – and loops back to town, you will come across a side street which leads to the Chapel of San Giovanni.
This excursion had featured in our original plan, but when we came to the fork, a couple of hikers who had just returned from there told us that the chapel was another 15 minutes away.
So the trip – including the walk back – would have taken us 30 minutes, which meant that we would have been at risk of missing our train. That’s how tight the schedule is.
A second drawback is that the trip from Ventimiglia – at just under 2 hours – is rather long in proportion to the time you are allowed to spend at your destination.
Such a time investment only makes sense if you consider the train journey – which is largely identical to the route of the celebrated Train des Merveilles from Nice to Tende – as part of your travel experience rather than a necessary inconvenience.
It is, after all, no ordinary train route, and the journey will reward you with many magnificent views.
And finally: there is no time for a leisurely or even a quick sit-down lunch in Limone. Which means that you will have to eat along the way, having brought all your provisions from Limone or, more practically perhaps (considering the time constraints and the range of products on offer in either town), from somewhere in Ventimiglia.
At least, there are plenty of opportunities for an improvised al fresco lunch along the way.
