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Hiking in Italy – interrupt me if I have told you this before – can be an exasperating experience. Far too often, you are distracted from the beauty of the scenery by the need to ward off evil trolls who seem determined to test your orienteering skills or, just as frequently, your fortitude and your character.

Like when they lead you on to the hard shoulder of a busy country road. Or when they have decorated one section of a trail with reassurance markings on every other tree or stone only to follow that up with nothing – nothing! – for a mile or so, preferably after a tricky intersection.

This, meanwhile, is not the only reason why managing the labyrinth of Italian hiking trails can be such a daunting task (nearly as daunting as, from what I hear, applying for an Italian building permit).

Trail markers are generally haphazardly applied, and when you need them most, at complex intersections of trails, well …

"into the unmarked italian adventure"

But while the experiencing self may be exasperated, the narrative self, contemplating the day’s Italian adventure over a glass of wine and an after-dinner smoke, weaves together a story of cool-headed decisiveness in the face of uncertainty and nagging doubt, of audacity in the face of danger, and of ultimate triumph over adversity.

This is a kind of satisfaction that you cannot get after a day’s hiking in France – never mind in Germany where hiking experiences tend to be carefully engineered machines for making you feel good about nature and your own place in it.

Our most recent Italian adventure was meant to take us to the Poggio de Brea above the village of Laigueglia near Alassio on the western Riviera coast.

Laigueglia – which is served by a small station on the mainline railway between Ventimiglia and Genoa – is a lovely little place …

"a city visit before start of the italian adventure"

… and you should take some time to explore it, ideally before you move on.

The village centre basically consists of two parallel roads: one central shopping street and the sea promenade from where you get lovely views over to Gallinara island.

"a pretty view before an  italian adventure"

Laigueglia is a member of the I Borghi più belli d’Italia association in which small but attractive destinations all across Italy have pooled their resources to campaign more effectively on the tourism market.

Tourism is, undoubtedly, the mainstay of the local economy, but at the same time, Laigueglia has preserved the charm of a fishing village that it once was and, up to a point, still is.

"fishing town of Laigueglia"

Once you have walked up and down the city’s two main streets, take one of the small alleyways that lead away (inland) from the village centre and look for an underpass that allows you to cross the railway tracks to Via Domenico Pieve.

Look for a small, steep lane called Via del Poggio that will lead you quickly out into the Mediterranean countryside.

"starting the day's  italian adventure"

This first part of the walk is marked with three red balls (think the Medici).

After 45 minutes of climbing – yes, I am afraid, this is inevitable considering the layout of the landscape – the trail crosses another path, which is marked with two parallel red bars (think the Austrian flag).

All through the walk, you will encounter an array of inventively designed markers – triangles, balls, bars, all-seeing eyes (I exaggerate but not by much) – which may appear to suggest that the trail network around Laigueglia has been designed by Freemasons.

Follow the direction to the Mulini (we never found this windmill, by the way) and, through a series of confusing intersections, to the Poggio de Brea.

The thick forest will eventually give way to a much more open landscape. You are now walking on the crest of the mountain ridge that you have been climbing for the first hour or so …

"near the aim of the  italian adventure"

… and can enjoy some breathtaking panoramic views of the High Alps …

"the alps on the peak of Laigueglia"

… as well as the coastal landscapes on your right.

"coastal view of the day's  italian adventure"

And, yes: that’s Lagueglia there underneath your feet.

"where we started from for this  italian adventure"

We continued until we reached the first of two neighbouring hills.

"poggio de brea - aim of this  italian adventure"

Was that the Poggio de Brea which had been the aim for our day’s Italian adventure? It was difficult to tell, since there was no indication what the hill was called (what? no summit cross?), but we decided that indeed it was, that our destination had been reached and that it was time now to turn around.

For your descent, you will have various choices. You can walk back to the last (confusing) intersection before the forest opened up and continue on the trail that takes you down the slope (now on your left).

Alternatively, you can cut short this Italian adventure on the return by taking the left leg of the trail on the ridge (it forks, not far away from the Poggio de Brea) and follow the arrow down in the direction of Laigueglia.

One word of warning, however: you will not be able to complete your trip within the estimated time frame of 30 minutes.

Time estimates on Italian signposts are nearly always biased in this way. The reason, I suspect, is that – in Germany or in Britain hiking is a passtime for all (the young as well as the old in various stages of infirmity). In Italy, only the youthful and active go hiking, and the estimated time frames reflect their ability of sprinting up and down the country’s mountainous slopes like gazelles on speed.

"towards the end of our  italian adventure"

This steeply heading downward trail – marked with a red triangle – will eventually lead you back to our old friend, the Medici Balls. This, however, is a different fork from the one we took for the way up (let us not ask too many questions) and finishes just outside Laigueglia train station.

If you are lucky (as we were), you will be able to catch a train straight away. If not: rather than waiting for two hours (not all the trains to either Ventimiglia or Genoa stop here), you may consider taking a bus to Alassio from where trains depart far more frequently.

Alternatively, you can spend some more time in Laigueglia over an ice cream or a cup of coffee. There are surely worse places where to get stuck for an hour or two.

"Laigueglia"

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