Next departures
October 9 – October 13, 2024
Il viaggio in breve
Each day we practise yoga in the morning and in the evening, in a hall of the church of the small village of Orco, a cluster of houses perched on the heights of Finale, surrounded by limestone cliffs, dense forests of Mediterranean vegetation, with the Ligurian sea in the distance. During the day, we will go on hikes in the surroundings, discovering the history and secrets of the Finale area. We will pass by caves where traces of prehistoric man have been found, Roman ruins, Mediaeval villages, and castles dating back to the period of conflicts between the Maritime Republics. While walking, we seek to establish a connection with the nature around us, listening to our breath, to the sounds of the woods and the sea, and to our sensations. If the weather allows us, two of our yoga sessions can take place on the beach. During the hikes, we alternate moments of sharing with moments of walking in silence, practising this form of meditation, often perceived as easier than the static one.
Gallery
Costs
Service cost: 200€
On-site expenses: 300€
After the morning yoga practice, consisting of breathing exercises and a sequence of asanas for muscle awakening, we have our breakfast and set off for the first hike. Directly from the village of Orco, we venture into Val di Nava, with its rich and wild forest, walking among limestone cliffs. We cross the Balconi cave and the Strapatente cave, then climb to the top of Rocca di Nava, where an ancient megalithic altar overlooks the valley below. Here we can have our packed lunch, then continue for a stretch along the crest of the Rocca, and finally descend among the cliffs and conclude our loop walking in a suggestive rock canyon, in the Boragni sector. We return to our B&B for our yoga practice, then have dinner and rest.
Today's hike explores another valley of Finale: after the morning yoga practice and breakfast, our transport takes us to the mediaeval village of Finalborgo, from which we climb the hill towards the hamlet of Perti Alta, walking on the ancient Roman road that reaches the church “Cinque Campanili”. We climb the Monte Sordo valley to reach the Castrum of Perti, a Roman ruin, then continue towards the wonderful Edera cave, a vertical well carved in the limestone rock, which can be admired from a wide window in the cliff, or accessed from the underground entrance. From here we proceed along the crag of Monte Sordo, until reaching the Pollera cave and descending into the valley below. We return to Finalborgo passing in front of Castel Gavone and the Diamond Tower. We can decide whether to do our yoga practice by the beach, or return to the hall at the church of Orco.
After the morning practice and breakfast at our B&B, we move to the village of Noli, where it's worth taking a stroll among the "caruggi" (alleyways in Ligurian dialect) and purchasing some local specialties for our packed lunch, before reaching the start of the trail that will lead us to the “Brigands' Cave”. This cave is a window that opens onto the sea from the cliff of Capo Noli, from which nothing but the blue of the water blending with that of the sky can be seen. We continue hiking along the coast, to descend to the village of Varigotti, on the other side of the cliff. Here too, we can decide whether to conduct the evening practice on the beach of Varigotti or return to the church in Orco village.
Our transport takes us to Finalborgo, where we can stop at the bakery to get something for our lunch break during the hike. This time we leave the village through the “Testa” gate and set off towards Monte Caprazzoppa, which divides Finale from Borgio Verezzi. We climb the Napoleonic road up above the quarry, from which we can spot the entrance to the Arene Candide cave, the site of an important prehistoric find. This coastal path overlooking the sea again offers us a breathtaking view of the riviera below, where the glittering of the sea waves almost dazzles us. We proceed towards the hamlet of Verezzi, to head back to Finalborgo completing the loop around Caprazzoppa.
Our trip has come to an end, we get our luggage and set off to get back home after a farewell “aperitivo”.