SWAC - walking

8 days from £819 March to June, September & October
The Italian Riviera & Monte Carlo
The holiday base is Bordighera, on the coast 18 miles to the east of Monte Carlo. The British have enjoyed strolling in and
around Bordighera since the 19th century – so much so it was an enclave where the local Italians were a minority. Today,
Bordighera is an extremely pleasant resort whose climate and scenery can be enjoyed in much the same as visitors of
yesteryear. It was also a favourite resort of Claude Monet who stayed ten weeks here and painted thirty five landscapes in
Bordighera and the neighbouring hills. There are three guided walks including one from Menton to Monte Carlo.
PROGRAMME
Day One: Flight to Nice and transfer to your hotel (45-minutes) hotel in
Bordighera for seven nights half board accommodation.
Days Two to Seven: In Bordighera with three included walks. On
Day 2 there is a late morning walking tour pointing out the highlights
of the town.
Walk 1: Bordighera to Sasso & the Princedom of Seborga. For this walk
you start at the hotel on the seafront in Bordighera, passing through
the old town, before following an old watercourse through a valley of
palm trees to the pretty hamlet of Sasso. You then take the old road to
the village of Seborga, a historical curiosity: it is claimed that following
its omission from a series of treaties, it is not officially part of Italy!
9 miles there and back, with ascent/descent of 500m. If you wish to
walk a shorter distance, you can catch the local bus back from Sasso
or Seborga to Bordighera.
Walk 2: Taggia to the artists’ village of Bussana Vecchia. Coach
transfer to Taggia, which claims to be home to Italy’s longest medieval
bridge. You walk through the old town, and then climb through smart
villas, olive trees and greenhouses, following the old road and country
paths as far as Old Bussana - one of those ‘must-see’ places. What
was a completely empty village following the 1887 earthquake has
become home to a Bohemian artist community which took root in the
1960’s - not without controversy. 5 miles, 250m ascent.
Walk 3: Monte Carlo or Bust! You travel by coach to Menton, where
you walk up to Roquebrune village, before descending towards Monte
Carlo. Roquebrune, on Mont Gros, is a favourite place for hang-gliders,
and has fine views of Monte Carlo. Time permitting, you will have time
to explore a little of the Principality before you re-join the coach to
return to Bordighera, just 18 miles away. 7 miles, 200m of ascent/
descent.
the station, with services to Ventimiglia, and to San Remo and beyond.
There are also local bus services.
There will also be an optional excursion to the Nervia Valley. You drive
through Camporosso, a pretty village, and stop in medieval Dolceaqua,
dominated by the Dorias’ Castle. The bridge, over the Nervia river,
was painted by Monet in 1884. You will visit the ‘Visionarium’ – it will
surprise you, we promise! You continue up the valley to Pigna, a pretty
mountain village.
Day Eight: Free time until you depart for the airport. Dependent on
traffic conditions and flight timings, there may be time for some lastminute
shopping in Nice en route.
YOUR HOTEL
HOTEL PARIGI HHHH, Bordighera (seven nights)
This comfortable hotel is family-run and stands right on the seafront
promenade, just a short stroll from the town centre. Rooms have
flatscreen tv with satellite channels, air-conditioning, private bath or
shower, wc and hairdryer. Although the railway line passes 20 metres
behind the hotel, there are very few trains overnight and in any case
rooms are double-glazed. The holiday price is based on hill view
rooms. Side and full sea view rooms are available at a supplement.
(www.hotelparigi.com) Free one hour session in the hotel wellness centre.
If you have friends who are not walkers interested in this itinerary, it is
featured in our Escorted Holidays brochure with a touring programme.
In your free time there are several walking opportunities in the town
itself. One takes you to the scenes of several of Monet’s paintings.
Another is a one mile walk along the Lungomare Argentina – the
colourful flower-filled promenade along the beach and the longest
pedestrian promenade on the Riviera. It was inaugurated by Eva Perón
whose husband had visited Bordighera in 1947. On Thursday there is a
market on the seafront near the hotel. Your hotel is handily situated for
20 | www.preferredts.com
Please refer to the enclosed ‘Dates and Flight Information’ for details of departure dates, prices and flights.