Depart from the rolling vineyards and wheat fields of the Tortona hills. Follow the historic salt roads over the high Ligurian Appenines. Arrive at the azure sea and verdant subtropical foliage of the Portofino Peninsular.
Along the way stay at one of Italy's finest white wine makers, a mountaintop hotel, take in some remarkable views and the spectacle of a monastery 600m above the sea, to finish at a luxury hotel on the Riviera waterfront.
The Salt Roads, Le Vie del Sale, are a network of ancient mule tracks which extend inland from Italy’s Ligurian coast. In the west they arrive as far as Geneva, and, in the east, Padua. Until recently, salt was one of the most precious commodities, valued ounce per ounce with gold in some places. From the Bronze Age, traders loaded their pack animals and embarked on the risky, rewarding journey inland.
Salt Roads to the Riviera begins in Piemonte’s south east corner. Here is a unique point of convergence: hills, plain, mountains and coast merge one into the next; it is where continent begins its transition into peninsular; and where four regions (Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardia, Piemonte) meet.
This challenging hike lets slip the senses and the imagination. Follow six contiguous, historic trails, starting in rolling hills, then cross the high Ligurian Appenines, before finally descending to the brilliant colours and evocative scents of the Italian Riviera.
Salt Roads to the Riviera costs €1395 per person, based on two sharing.
There is a €100 single-occupancy supplement.
Solo travellers pay €1995.
Eight nights b&b accommodation, including one night on a prestigious wine estate, two nights (rest day!) with dinner in a mountaintop hotel with spa, and a night in a boutique hotel on the Riviera • A tasting of premium quality Colli Tortonesi wines and an MTW tutored wine and cheese tasting on the trails • An MTW-published booklet with information panels and detailed directions for six hikes • GPS tracks to use on your device • Pre-and post-trip briefings with our Local Manager • The Local Manager is on call 24/7 to help with questions or problems, large or small • Your bags moved ahead of you • You can ride in the vehicle in the morning, if you’d like to shorten or skip a day.
Flights and other transfers • Insurance • Mealtime wine • Meals, other than indicated.
Stay at a top quality winery and enjoy a winery visit and tasting with your hosts • The rolling wheat-and-vine hills of Tortona • On a clear day, in a single vista, four of the Italian regions, the Alpine chain and the Mediterranean Sea • Hike in the thousands of years-old footsteps of the salt traders and their pack animals • A rest day in a mountaintop hotel with evening meals included • An MTW tutored wine and cheese tasting on the trails • Arrive on the coast at an abbey (optional cablecar for the final descent), with unforgettable views over the Portofino peninsular • A night in luxury at a boutique or 4* hotel on the waterfront.
Salt Roads to the Riviera starts in a winery outside the city of Tortona.
Fly to Milano or Torino. There are direct rail services from Milano Centrale. From Torino Porta Nuova, change in Alessandria. The winery is a 10-minute taxi ride from Tortona station.
The itinerary finishes in the coastal town of Rapallo. Fly home from Pisa, Genova, Torino or Milano, all of which have a rail connection from Rapallo, either direct or with a single change.
MTW does not handle flights, but we will be happy to assist you making your travel arrangements, and can provide a quote for airport transfers.
Accommodation is the usual MTW mix of the rustic (a three star hotel with restaurant, and a mountaintop hotel) and sophisticated (a boutique / 4* hotel on the Riviera, and a winery in the Tortona hills). But whatever style it is, you can be sure that all accommodation meets our rigorous standards for character, a warm welcome and cleanliness.
Nowhere in Italy is as proud and committed to the regionality and tradition of its cuisine as Piemonte. The Colli Tortonesi DOC is famous for its use of Timorasso, a historic white variety which, thanks to its finesse, complexity and ageability, has become a global phenomenom. Our winery earned the coveted ‘Best white wine of Italy’ in the 2024 Five Star Wines guide. Other white grapes include Cortese, while, in the reds, we find top quality Barbera.
In the mountains, the food is rich and warming, with cheeses, stews, pasta, polenta and rice. Boar, deer and hearty vegetable dishes are to the fore.
On the coast, fish takes pride of place, with a wealth of dishes available. But the fisherman bringing in the seafood hungered for a taste of land, which means the traditional cuisine also has its roots in the herbs of the Meditarranean coastline, rabbit and lamb. And let’s not forget one of the most famous of all – Pesto alla Genovese, made with Prà basil, garlic, pine nuts, taggiasca olive oil (this local olive is one of Italy’s most prized) and paired with trofie pasta.
Here we drink Gavi and Timorasso, but also the dry, refreshing sparkling and still local wines from Vermentino, Pigato and Albarola, as well as fruity reds from Rossese. Then there’s the most prestigious of all – divine, expensive, sweet Sciacchetrà from Bosco grapes grown at the base of the cliffs of the Cinque Terre national park.
Salt Roads to the Riviera includes a winery visit in the Colli Tortonesi, and a tutored tasting of regional wines and cheeses on the trails.
We will be very happy to accommodate dietary requirements but please do indicate your requests on the form when we send it.
As well as a travel operator in Italy, MTW is a UK wine merchant. UK-based customers can order the wines they have enjoyed from MTW at preferential rates.
The Tortona hills, Ligurian Appenines and Riviera are resplendent in the spring and autumn.
Needless to say, we cannot guarantee the weather, and you will be at altitude, so bring wet weather and cold weather clothing.
We highly recommend staying an extra night or two in Rapallo, to better explore this pretty coastal town and the Portofino peninsular. We can provide directions for a hike taking you around its border, including a visit to the famous Cristo del Abisso and the abbey at San Fruttuoso. Alternatively you can take a boat trip.
You might also like to take a train ride to the Cinque Terre national park, or to the fishing town of Camogli.
Enquire to book.
We classify the hiking as difficult. The hiking is steep in places, with some stretches of uphill exertion which extend for an hour. The surface can be loose underfoot, and slippery in the rain. We always recommend proper walking shoes and walking poles.
The longest hike is 23km (we can organise a collection at 16km if you like) and the shortest is 9.5km.
The highest point is 1500m.
Salt Roads to the Riviera is open from 01 April to 31 May, and from September 15th to October 31st.
Check in to the B&B on the Vigneti Repetto winery, and enjoy a guided winery visit and tasting of top quality Timorasso, Cortese and Barbera wines.
Contact us if you need advice on transport options for your arrival.
A ride is arranged to take you to a local restaurant for dinner. Pay for dinner locally.
🗺️ (c) MacNay Travel & Wine
Meet your Local Manager for your pre-trip briefing. They will give tips and advice, and answer your questions..
Your Local Manager is on call for the duration of your trip, and will be moving your bags. You can ride with them if you would like to shorten or skip a day.
Your first hike takes in the rolling vineyard scenery of the Colli Tortonesi, before entering the chestnut- and oak-covered pre-Appenine hills.
Your second stop is a comfortable B&B in a town which is one of the Borghi Più Belli d’Italia. Pay for dinner locally in one of the town’s osterie.
Today’s hike takes you to a place where the hills and mountains merge. Follow ancient woodland trails and farm tracks alongside streams. Hike over the Rocca di Montebore, a hill famous for the production of its eponymous cheese. Visit a Montebore cheesemaker and taste their cheese; if that is not possible then your Local Manager will meet you for a tasting of Montebore cheeses on the trail.
Your accommodation tonight is a delightful, family-run foresteria, set in the silent splendour of the mountains. It has grand views from the outdoor pool, and a great restaurant. Pay locally for dinner.
You’re guaranteed a restful night’s sleep after all those kms, a swim, a meal and the tranquility of the setting.
Depart the foresteria and climb to the first ridges and peaks of the high Ligurian Appenines. Distant views of the Alpine chain appear, and, on a clear day, you might find your first glimpse of the Mediterranean sea.
Your hotel occupies a magnificent position at 1500m, at the head of one such ridge. Views stretch in all directions.
Your trip fee includes a five-course half board meal. Pay locally for wine/drinks and extras.
A well-earned day of rest and relaxation awaits you. Enjoy the hotel with its bar, restaurant and small spa. Drink in the view while you catch some sun in the garden.
The hotel can make you a sandwich or something more substantial for lunch (pay locally).
Your trip fee includes a second five-course half board meal. Pay locally for wine/drinks and extras.
The longest day of hiking is an unforgettable series of high ridges and peaks, now with the sea a regular companion.
A descent takes you into the town of Torriglia, which was – and remains – an important crossroads on the Vie del Sale, one of which is your route down.
Your hotel tonight is a beautiful converted villa overlooking the town.
A 300m walk takes you into the town for dinner in one of the restaurants. Pay locally.
Relish another day of woodland walking and hilltop views, with the sea now almost in touching distance. The trails are a combination of the Vie del Sale and the Alta Via Ligure.
Your Local Manager may choose this day to offer your tutored tasting at a suitable place. They will introduce you to the wines of Liguria, and cheeses from the coastal hills and mountains.
Your destination tonight is a pretty b&b and restaurant in the valley where Christopher Columbus’s maternal line originated.
Dinner is in the hotel – pay locally.
A stiff climb takes you out of the town, to a pine-clad ridge hundreds of metres above the sea. Here the trail rolls along, until you reach an extraordinary Santuario. There are bars and restaurants here, from where you can drink in the view of the Portfofino peninsular and the bustling harbour, along with your well-earned beer,
Elmore Leonard was inspired to write his crime novel, Pronto, from exactly this spot.
To descend to the town you can take the twice-hourly cablecar, or walk down the seventeenth century pilgrim trail and mule track, a 4km length of tens of thousands vertically laid slate slabs.
The last stretch of your hike is through the atmospheric back streets of Rapallo, then along the waterfront to your boutique or 4-star hotel.
Enjoy a fine dinner in one of the town’s excellent restaurants – you’ve made it! (Pay locally).
We highly recommend staying an extra night or two, to better enjoy the lovely town of Rapallo, and the beaches and coastline of the Portofino Peninsular.
You can take a boat ride or follow our additional written instructions to the secluded bay with restaurant at San Fruttuoso, and from there onto Camogli.
In the other direction, you could take the train to the five villages of the Cinque Terre National Park.
But if you must leave, a train ride from Rapallo will take you to Genova, Pisa, Milano or Torino for your flight home. Ask us if you need help or recommendations in planning your travel there or back.
