Words by Carla Passino

Sapphire waters and soaring mountains, olive groves and chestnut trees, fishermen’s homes and grand palazzos. Liguria is an exercise in contradiction, a land that always reserves a surprise. Although towns like Rapallo, Chiavari and Sestri have been drawing distinguished travelers since the days of the Gran Tour, although villages like Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure appear regularly on international gossip columns as the backdrop to celebrity antics, although stretches of coastline such as the Cinque Terre have filled miles of column inches on travel guides around the world, much of the Northern Italian region remains undiscovered.

We have asked Liguria’s Tourism councillor Margherita Bozzano and her team to share with us the five best ways to discover and enjoy this secret Liguria.

1. Take a walk along Genoa’s strade nuove and view the Palazzi dei Rolli

In the 16th and 17th century, the Republic of Genoa was a thriving commercial centre, which drew dignitaries and princes from around the world. The local aristocratic and financial elite hosted these important visitors in lavish Renaissance and Baroque palazzi, which lined the city’s strade nuove, new streets that broke the old town’s intricate maze of alleys.

The palazzi took the name of Rolli (as in roll) because dignitaries were assigned to each palazzo with the lotto system in what was an original form of public lodging. At each visit, the Doge drew the names of the Genoese family tasked with housing the foreign prince, duke or ambassador. There is no doubt that the visitors were duly impressed with their accommodation - especially Flemish painter Pieter Paul Rubens, who went on to draw, etch and promote the palazzi dei Rolli as a form of exemplary architecture.

Today, some mansions have been turned into museums and are open to the public - Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Spinola di Pellicceria, Palazzo Reale. A visit there reveals how the architects of the time made clever use limited space, developing the buildings vertically around courtyards and garden loggias. Many more palazzos have been turned into private flats, but their façades are worth admiring. All it takes is a walk along Via Garibaldi (the 16th century Strada Nuova) and the neighbouring streets. Guided tours are also available (call +39 010 860 6122 for information).

2. Spend the Pesto World Championship week in Genoa

The pesto world championship takes place every two years in Genoa. Launched in 2007, the competition draws chefs, cooks and amateurs from all over the world. In the grand setting of Palazzo Ducale, they vie to make the very best pesto using only authentic ingredients (Ligurian basil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Sardo and sea salt) according to the traditional Ligurian recipe - and yes, this means competitors have to forego food processors and do all the hard work with pestle and mortar.

A lady from Genoa, Luciana Parodi, won the very first edition, but the second one reserved a surprise—the winner was a 25 year old Korean American chef, Danny Bowien (who learned the recipe from Genoese executive chef Paolo Laboa). Now expectations are high for the third edition of the pesto championship, which is set to take place in April 2010.

Anyone can participate (so long as you make it through the preliminary contests), but visiting the city during the pesto week is worthwhile even for those who don’t have great culinary talents. There are plenty of events devoted to pesto and the city’s restaurants have special pesto menus. And while in Genoa, don’t forget to take a walk along the vicoli (alleys) and try some street food - especially the delicious farinata, a crunchy chickpea focaccia. For information visit, www.pestochampionship.it.

3. Cycle from San Lorenzo al Mare to Ospedaletti

Once upon a time, an unsightly train line ran on the sinuous coastline between San Lorenzo al Mare and Ospedaletti, looming large and metallic over the cobalt sea. Several years and an enlightened administration later, the railway line has been moved inland, and the former tracks have been turned into a 24-km route open to ramblers and cyclists.

The views along the way are enchanting, with verdant trees and pretty villages on one side and wavelets lapping the foot of the trail on the other. Four large terraces allow visitors to rest and make the most of the panorama. Bikes are available to rent at either end of the track, making it perfect for families and occasional cyclists. Die-hard ones, though, can continue on to the 2,000 km of the Alpi del Mare route, which starts from sea level and climbs all the way up the mountains.

4. Go cross-country walking in Parco dell’Aveto

You have barely left the sea behind, and you are in Alpine-like mountains. It’s Parco dell’Aveto, a regional park stretching over some of the highest peaks in the Ligurian Apennine. Tiny lakes break up the greenery of thick forests, azure streams rush down jagged rocks, and lush pastureland peppered with cows crops up suddenly among beech woods.

A cool escape in summer, the Parco become a winter sport haven in winter. Although it is possible to do Nordic skiing here, the real draw is cross country walking with snowshoes. There are many routes in the mountains of Santo Stefano d’Aveto, Zatta, Ramaceto, Caucaso, Penna and Aiona, where you can have walk (and sometimes roll) in the snow among soaring trees.

5. Go green in Varese Ligure

The pretty village of Varese Ligure stands at the heart of Liguria’s organic valley. Despite being one of Italy’s prettiest borghi, Varese was at risk of depopulation until a few years ago. Then a clever mayor decided that the key to revitalising the village, which had a strong agricultural tradition, was to become green. He gave the impulse to local farmers, who agreed that all food produced locally would be organic and that they would pay particular attention to indigenous breeds such as a chicken called pollo nero gigante.

The initiative went hand in hand with other moves to breather new life into the village’s historic homes, promoting sustainability with the use of renewable energy sources and protecting the local landscape. Varese became the first European village to obtain an environmental certification, and the surrounding Val di Vara was dubbed organic valley.

Today, the woods, fields and adventure park of the Vara valley draw as much interest as Varese’s pastel coloured houses, forbidding bastions and slim bridge. This is also the perfect starting point for a tour of ‘green’ Liguria, heading down from Varese Ligure through the regional park of Montemarcello, a verdant oasis of chestnut woods, rivers and lakes, populated by herons and peppered with castles and watermills, and ending with the beautiful coastal borghi and Blue Flag beaches of Lerici and Tellaro.