It’s an ancient city. Excavated cemeteries in the town point to Greek occupation from around the sixth century BC, but the natural harbour here was probably in use far earlier. An important trading base for skins, honey and wood, the power of Genoa was to grow until the early Middle Ages, and by the thirteenth century the city was a major seapower. The Genoese were players in the Crusades and from then on were some of the most traders around the Mediterranean and the ports of north Africa, Greece and Turkey. And seafaring nations don’t just bring home goods and money, of course, they bring home ideas, new ways of doing things. Genoa’s builders were using the Arab pointed arch a full century before the rest of Italy. And Genoa has an eclectic cuisine that draws far more on the southern Mediterranean than you would expect, given its northerly position.

Other Italians mock the Ligurians and Genovese for meanness. It’s unfair, but this is a kitchen where nothing is wasted, so you will encounter offal-based dishes. The keynote ingredient is pesto however, the delicious paste of basil, garlic, pine nuts and parmesan (or pecorino), mashed in olive oil. Seafood is predictably to the fore in this bustling port: anchovies, mussels, octopus, clams and squid, and pastas served in seafood sauces. Salt cod (baccala) is popular, and local dishes include cuttlefish stew (burrida di seppie) and vinegar-marinaded fish (in carpione). Frugality is again a theme here, the Genoese have become experts at preserving excess fish stocks. Genoa has its grand buildings too. There is a fine Duomo in the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo.

It also has one of the oldest universities, founded in 1481 (in medieval Italy, learning tended to accompany trade), and the oldest football club in Italy. That’s football as in soccer (or calcio to give it the Italian name), though Genoa are actually (and delightfully) named Genoa Football and Cricket Club, being set up by expat Englishmen.

The city has its dark side too. The 2001 G8 summit in the town was overshadowed by riots and a brutal over-reaction by the local police, who shot one man dead and beat and arrested numerous protestors. An inglorious approach saw carabinieri raiding union buildings and media centres during the protests. And never forget this was the city that refused to bankroll local boy Christopher Columbus … a woeful lack of foresight that saw Genoa head into centuries of decline.

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This tiny population (some 300) buzzes about on scooters and motorised three-wheelers. Sights include the thermal springs at Punta di Peppe e Maria, much beloved by the Romans of course. There is scuba diving and organised trips out to the shipwreck between the little islets of Lisca Bianca and Bottaro. A 30-minute walk from San Pietro takes you to the isle’s one sandy beach. Close by is Punta Milazzese, where in 1948 a Bronze Age village (circa 14th century BC) was discovered, the 23 huts pointing to a Minoan influence. And though the main volcano is extinct, volcanic activity is still evidenced on the northern beach of Calacara, where steam sometimes escapes through one of the island’s fumaroles.

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Inland, meanwhile, we have the Foresta Umbria, a verdant heartland of beech and oak, reminiscent of southern Germany rather than southern Italy. Inland towns include Monte Sant’Angelo, San Giovanni Rotondo, San Marco in Lami and San Severo at the beginning of the peninsula. It’s a beautiful part of the world, not least because it was largely cut off for centuries, apart from pilgrims making their way to the shrine at Monte Sant’Angelo. The national park status the peninsula won in 1991 has prevented its being spoiled by its increased popularity as a tourist destination. Great beaches then, but not too much development.

Ensure you visit Monte Sant’Angelo – at 800 metres above sea level it’s a spectacular (and very chilly spot). San Giovanni Rotondo is nowadays a massive site of Catholic pilgrimage, second only to Lourdes, being the burial place of local priest Padre Pio, he of the stigmata and numerous other miracles before his death in 1968 (he was canonised in 2002). San Marco in Lamis has the huge 16th century Convento di San Matteo. Each Good Friday the ‘fracchie’ celebration sees huge bundles of burning wood hauled through the town. This originally pagan ceremony has been reinvented as the lighting of the route for the Madonna as she searches for Jesus.

Vieste has a fine old town, with the former monastery of San Francesco, the Castello and the Cattedrale. Completely cut off a half century ago, the town, thanks to its marvellous beaches, is now a popular tourist spot. Good nightlife and a starting point for the Tremiti islands. Move round the coast to Peschici: with its rather Arab feel, narrow mazey streets and dome-roofed houses it dates from the 10th century when it was built as a defence against Saracen invasions. There are great beaches, and the coastline has caves and defensive medieval towers. See the grotto at San Nicola and the Torre dei Monte Pucci.

Head along the coast to Rodi Garganico and some superb white sand beaches. This old Greek town has a hydrofoil service to the Tremiti islands. The road and railway out of town run alongside the lagoon of Lago di Varano (into which disappeared the Athenian town of Uria in the 4th century BC) and then the Lago di Lesina. This latter lagoon is separated from the sea by a 27km run of sand dunes. Beautifully unspoilt, this area is a marvellous habitat for wildfowl.

Inland we have the Foresta Umbra or ‘forest of shadows’, running across the huge Gargano massif. Superb forests of beech and oak, 70 species of orchid, and wildlife including deer and wild boar … and all now protected as national park, thankfully.

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The National Park site for the Gargano Promontory

The steep slopes that soar up from the Mediterranean get good rainfall and are lushly carpeted with vineyards and olive groves. The geography also means Liguria enjoys a temperate climate, never too hot and cold. The 18th of the 20 Italian regions in area, it is number 12 in population count. Most of that population is concentrated in the coastal towns of course, with large parts of Liguria relatively inaccessible wooded mountanside. Drive up here from the popular coastal resorts and you’ll find little, isolated mountain villages and some quite stunning scenery.

Communications are excellent, with easy access to central Italy and with mainland Europe to the north. Genoa (Genova) has its international airport. (Aeroporto Cristoforo Colombo), and the region’s main railway route runs along the coast, coming in from Monaco in France. From there, just about every Ligurian coastal town of any size has a railway station, even the picturesque Cinque Terre villages, and the railway heads out, via La Spezia, into Tuscany. Rail lines also head north from the coast to Parma, Milan and Turin. The A12 coastal highway clings to the same narrow strip of land, with major roads heading north at intervals to Turin, Milan and northern Europe.

The major town of Liguria is Genoa, a marvellous old port town that, in the 13th century, was one of the major seapowers in the Mediterranean. The long and thin town is stretched out, for miles it seems, along the seafront of the Golfo di Genova. The port became very run down in the twentieth century, but in recent years a concerted programme of renewal has seen holidaymakers discovering this historic city anew. Henry James described Genoa as ‘the most winding, incoherent of cities’, and behind the port is a byzantine warren of alleyways and little streets. Since its crowning as European City of Culture in 2004, development in Genoa has continued apace, and this home of Columbus and Garibaldi’s ‘Thousand’ – a fascinating melting pot of cultures, architectural styles and cuisine from around the Mediterranean – makes for a marvellous vacation weekend or longer. It’s also the home of pesto!

Other notable towns in Liguria (all on the coast) include San Remo, Alassio, Albanga, Savona, Imperia, Portofino, Ventimiglia and La Spezia. There are dozens more villages spread out along the Ligurian coastline, comprising the Riviera di Levante to the east and the Riviera di Ponente (further split into Riviera dei Fiori and Riviera delle Palme) to the west. And one of the must-sees in Liguria is the Cinque Terre (literally ‘five lands’), five coastal villages occupying a stunning position near La Spezia in the southern reaches of the region. Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore are squeezed into the cliffs of the coast, and are joined by a coastal walkway.

Between France and Genoa we are on the Riviera Ponente then, with sandy beaches and towns such as Finale Ligure, Noli and Albenga. There is the chic resort of San Remo and lovely hill towns (barely visited) such as Taggia and Dolceacqua. Pass Genoa and the coastline changes as we enter the Riviera di Levante. There are far fewer sandy beaches here, but some astonishingly picturesque towns, such as the hip and expensive Portofino, and pretty towns such as Santa Margherita Ligure. Recco has some superb restaurants, while Camogli (once a major sea power which saw of Napoleon with a fleet of 700 ships) is a delightfully unspoiled little port.

Liguria feste and festivals
Liguria, like ever Italian region, has a host of feste and festivals. It’s impossible to list them all, but some of the most worth seeing are as follows. Camogli has its spectacular Stella Maris water pageant in August, and Sestri Levante its historical regatta each June. Masone has an historical parade in June and Portofino its St George’s Day Bonfire (yes, the same as the patron saint of England) in April. Casaria Ligure has the strawberry festival in August, Pontinvrea a cherry festival in June, Rossiglione the chestnut festival in October, and Castiglione the eggplant/aubergine festival (yes really) in August. The Corpus Domini flower festival in Calizzano each June is marvellous and the same town hosts an historic horse race and games each July. Monterosso al Mare also has a flower festival for Corpus Domini (June) and the lemon festival in May. Cosseria hosts the festival of San Damiano (September), and Riomaggiore the San Giovanni festival in June. Look out for July’s Waterfront Festivities for Sant’Erasmo in Lerici, and the Levanto Maritime Festival. August has the mouthwatering porchetta festival in Carrodano, and at Portovenere around Christmas there are numerous nativity scenes, including the living nativity at Diano Arentino.

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Piedmont is the second-largest region in Italy, with eight provinces, but only the sixth most populous. Piedmont is perhaps one of the least ‘Italian’ of the regions, with very strong ties to France. French was the main language here until the turn of the 20th century, and the dialects are still heavily influenced by the language. The capital, Turin (Torino) was for many centuries the centre of the House of Savoy – the Dukes of Savoy were also kings of Sardinia from the 18th century, though Piedmont became the starting point for Italy’s unification in the mid-1800s.

Today, Piedmont is famous for wintersports, and was host to the 2006 Winter Olympics. When the snows melt in summer, the mountains make superb walking and hiking country: 7.6 per cent of Piedmont is protected countryside, with 56 national parks, the most famous being the Gran Paradiso. Piedmont is also lush agricultural land, with much of the lower plains being given over to paddy fields, and the uplands boasting some fine wine-growing areas. Piedmont in fact produces a surprising mixture of sparkling whites and full-bodied reds: famous names include Barbaresco, Barolo and Barbera, as well as the rather unfairly reviled Asti Spumante.

The food has strong ties with France too, with Mediterranean olive oil being replaced by cream and butter in cooking. Sauces are thicker, fondue is on the menu, and Piemonte is world-famous for the white truffle, with Alba the truffle centre (and with truffle festivals based around the trade and the season).

Communications are good, with Turin (Torino) International Airport, and the smaller airport at Cuneo. Turin is, of course, a major road network hub. The A6 heads south to the Ligurian coast and the A21 and A4 east into Lombardy (and to Milan). The A5 heads north through the region to the Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) tunnel to France, one of a number of connections to mainland Europe, into France and Switzerland. Piedmont has a good rail network, with interchanges at Alba, Asti, Turin, Cuneo and Turin among others.

Turin is a lovely city to visit. Despite its manufacturing muscle, as home to Fiat and Olivetti, Lavazza and Martini, it has a baroque centre of real charm. Turin is famous for its coffee and pastry shops, and has some superb shopping. There is the National Cinema Museum, the Cathedral of St John the Baptist (home to the Turin Shroud) and the Egyptian Museum. It has two major soccer teams, in Torino FC and of course Juventus.

The countryside of Piemonte is spectacular of course. The Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso (in the west and straddling the border with Valle d’Aosta) was Italy’s first national park, a superb chunk of Alpine Europe, home to chamois, golden eagles and ibex. Further south (and just west of Turin) the abbey of Sacra di San Michele is a stunning sight, perched atop a rocky outcrop. As you head south along the French border, you encounter Piedmont’s main ski resorts, including Sestriere, Suze D’Oulx and Bardonecchia.

Head south of Turin to the delightful Renaissance town of Saluzzo. Further east, and you come to the hills of Le Langhe and the town of Alba, with Italy’s best truffle country and superb wines, including Barolo and Nebbiolo. Asti, of course, is famous for sparkling white wines.

Head into northern Piedmont and we are back in spectacular Alpine scenery. The peak of Monte Rosa straddles the Swiss border, and there are the sanctuaries of Sacro Monte at Varallo and Santuario d’Oropa at Biella. Into the north-east of the region and Varallo sees the beginning of steep wooded hillsides, very pretty countryside. The valleys that head east out of Valle d’Aosta here evoke Switzerland more than Italy. There are the peaks of the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa and the valleys of Aosta, Val Gressoney, Val d’Ayas and Valtournenche. There are good ski resorts here too, including Champoluc.

Among the dozens of major fairs and festivals and local village feste (many around traditional times of celebration such as harvest, Christmas, New Year and Easter) these are some of the big ones. February sees Asti’s Carnival, Castellamonte’s carnival festival and parade, Chivasso’s night-time carnival parade, Domodossola’s historic carnival, and Ivrea’s historic carnival and the battle of the oranges. March sees Quaranti’s chickpea and Barbera festa.

In April, Varallo hosts the Procession of the Seven Marys. May sees the medieval tournaments at Cuorgne, and Oglianico’s Ides of May (another medieval pageant), while Nizza Monferrato hosts the Corsa delle Botti. June sees the re-enactment of the Siege of Canelli in that town, and Mombaruzzo has its minestrone and torta verde festa. August sees the traditional donkey race in Premosello/Chiovenda, while Quaranti: hosts the Calice di Stelle. Maranzana has its Festa dello Spumante. September in Asti sees the Palio and Games, and the Festival of Festivals.

October and Acqui Terme has its Cavalcata Aleramica (another palio-style historic horse race), Alba has the truffle festival and Castagnole Monferrato celebrates the grape harvest; it also hosts its own Palio. In November, San Sebastiano Curone has its truffle festival, and Alessandria hosts the Festa di San Bardolino, while Nizza Monferrato has its Fiera di San Carlo. A highlight of December is the ice nativity scene each year in Alagna.

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The twin provinces have a population of less than a million. Though the eleventh largest of the Italian regions it is only the 16th in population – much of Trentino-Alto Adige is, after all, mountains. The mainstays of the economy are tourism (skiing and walking), wine-making and farming. There are several national parks, and the Dolomites are dotted with picture-book medieval castles. The summer season sees the opening of the alte vie (literally ‘high roads’) walking trails that pick their way across the Dolomites, everything from a pleasant day’s hiking in the mountains to organised fortnight tours. The hiking season runs 20 June – 20 September.

Major towns include Bolzano (Bozen in German) the capital of the Alto-Adige/South Tyrol province, and Trento, capital of the largely Italian Trentino. The twin capitals are the transport hubs, linked by the rail lines that run up from Verona in the south and north to Innsbruck. You are likely to fly into Verona Villafranca, Brescia Montichiari, Aeroporto Marco Polo, Venice (Venezia), or one of the two Milan airports, Milano Malpensa or Milano Linate. There is also a small airport at Bolzano, with flights from London. You could also take the Eurostar from London to Paris, overnight express train from Paris to Milan, and there change for Trento.

Specialities of the region include salamis, salt beef, speck (smoked ham), bread dumplings (knodel), spinach gnocchi, goulash, sausages with horseradish, sauerkraut, strudels, plenty of pastries and Zelten Trentino – a fruitcake soaked in grappa. Trentino-Alto Adige makes more DOC wine than any other Italian region, with Chardonnays and Pinot Grigios, and very good white sparkling spumante. There are good reds such as Schiava (Vernatsch in German) and Teroldego, Caldaro (Kaltersee) and Lagrein Dunkel. The area also produces vin santo.

Hotels across the Trentino Alto Adige region of Italy.

However, the rest of the family aren’t so nice. Members of the same Amanite family include the famous red and white fairy tale mushroom, the fly agaric (poisonous, hallucinogenic) and the kills-people-in-Italy-every-year-without-fail death cap. Below (from a mushroom show in the Garfagnana, close to Lucca) is a photograph of each, the sublime followed by the deadly.

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