“…In piedi, sorella, in piedi
E vai a prenderli quei desideri
E digli chi sei e chi eri
Le parole sfonderanno i muri…”-
Elisa
Ascolta qui la canzone
March is a month of transition, marking the shift from winter to spring. It is a month that I particularly love, because nature invites us to enjoy new blooms, because it begins with my birthday, and because we celebrate International Women’s Day… a holiday that was not created as a celebration or even as a commemoration of a tragedy, but rather to remember the great struggles women have fought to win their rights.
So why not take a moment to reflect on what has been, on today’s reality, and on what we hope for the future of women, perhaps by sharing a special day with the women in our lives?
With this somewhat unusual blog post, I suggest a dynamic itinerary to enjoy with your friends, focusing on some special places where you can stop, change your perspective, find inspiration, and perhaps even enjoy a little silence all to yourselves.
The Flower Riviera Cycle Path
You will have already gathered from my first blog post that I love walking alone along the seafront, but I find that the best way to experience spring on this stretch of coastline is to cycle along the western Ligurian cycle path in company.
A truly unique long straight stretch, created thanks to the dismantling of the old railway line. 24 km running alongside the sea, crossing beautiful countryside and charming little villages waiting to be discovered.
The website dedicated to the Ponente cycle path was created free of charge by people who, like me, were enchanted by this route and want to share useful and comprehensive information with those traveling it for the first time.
For a day focused on the pleasure of traveling with the wind in your hair, laughter among friends, and a little stress-free exercise, my proposal includes detours, coffee, reflection, and long breaks to enjoy the view.
Ospedaletti, my love
The starting point and return destination is the Étoile house, a Vayadù star that winks at the Ospedaletti seafront, designed for women who love dynamic holidays in good company, but with plenty of space for everyone.
If you like waking up early, you can sip your first coffee in peace on the terrace facing the sea, surrounded by subtropical vegetation rich in palm trees, eucalyptus, and lemon trees, while you wait for the house to fill with the cheerful sounds of breakfast and preparations for the day ahead.
You can travel light by renting your bike right outside your door at one of the kiosks located along the entire cycle path. Then set off for the City of Flowers.
From Sanremo and the Belle Époque to the artists of Bussana Vecchia
Almost immediately, you will encounter the long Capo Nero tunnel, which inside evokes the famous “Milano-Sanremo” cycling race, with phrases and tweets covering the asphalt.
After passing the Tre Ponti beach area, the cycle path leads into the heart of Sanremo, running alongside Corso Imperatrice, one of the most prestigious promenades on the Riviera.
You will be welcomed by lush palm trees and elegant Art Nouveau hotels, a vaguely exotic atmosphere, and the glitz and glamour of the “good life.”
If, like me when I’m in Sanremo, you feel like treating yourself like a true lady, you can sip a slow coffee in one of the two cafés in Bussana a Mare, which offer the most enchanting views of this stretch of coastline.
At this point, you can choose to continue along the cycle path or take a detour through chestnut groves and maritime pines to fill up on inspiration. The “artists’ village” of Bussana Vecchia is just 10 minutes from the route and is, for me, an irresistible place. Abandoned after a severe earthquake, it was reborn in the 1950s thanks to the passion of a group of artists, artisans, and philosophers, who chose it as their home and transformed it into an open-air workshop.
The spontaneous architecture of Bussana Vecchia, the result of renovations carried out by an international community of artists, coexists in a unique but completely harmonious atmosphere. Just like a group of old friends, each with their own character and personal points of view, but the time spent together is always a rich and nourishing symphony.
That’s why I love coming to Bussana with them: this village has been reborn thanks to artists who were looking for a space to meet and be together, as well as a place to live and work.
In every corner, I feel like I can breathe not only their art, but also the sense of community and deep connection with which they lived.
The Cipressa hill, descending with a new perspective
Once you have left Arma di Taggia, Santo Stefano al Mare, and Riva Ligure behind, you will be ready for another detour.
This time, you will face a 4 km climb before reaching the village of Cipressa, but you will be rewarded with a series of views overlooking the sea that make the Ligurian coast unforgettable.
And reaching the village will make you understand how important a change of perspective can be. You will feel as if you can stop time from the terrace of its large square, which completely immerses your gaze in the big blue.
If you really want to fill up on inspiration as you descend, you can opt for an additional detour to Villa Biener, a treasure trove of modernist works of art that will transport you to a kaleidoscopic world of colorful mosaics. You can stop in the park and listen to the stories these works tell you.
They are ideal places to chat quietly and perhaps try to answer important questions together: what does it mean to be a woman today, what vocations are we following and which ones have we silenced, how much are we the women we would like to be?
The last leg of your journey, surrounded by lush nature that will accompany you all the way to San Lorenzo al Mare, may seem different, filled with new images, new intentions, and new blossoms to come.
If you too dream of a special time dedicated to the women in your life, I look forward to seeing you in western Liguria to wish you a lush spring.
