WINDY MOUNT PRIAFAIA, BEIGUA NATURAL PARK
Hiking above the sea with the view to the Alps!
Mount Priafaia is a small but extremely scenic summit in the Monte Beigua Natural Park in Liguria. From this peak during the clear winter days you can admire both the Alps and the sea in the same time thanks to the dry winter air. The name is difficult to pronounce for an Italian, who knows for a foreigner! The name means stone of the beeches: Pria means stone while Faia means beech in an ancient local dialect.
Today with a group of hikers we started from Alpicella a small village in the hills of Varazze. Before starting to walk we stock up on Focaccia Ligure, a typical and famous product of Liguria. Our panoramic lunch is now safe!
The day is very windy and cold so we will have two certainties: The cold will prevent us to stay too much time on top and the panorama guaranteed from the dry air that will give us excellent visibility.
The first part of our trail is in the wood where we walk an ancient path that dates back to a pre-Roman period. This “road” is full of megaliths and around this area we can find also engravings.
After hike the “Via Megalitica” we are finally out of the vegetation and have a large and pleasant view towards the sea, not far from us. Now there is the final steepy prairie to the top that puts a strain on our calves, but my today’s hiker group is strong and we reach the summit ridge.
From this place the unmistakable shape of Monviso appears in the distance. Today we are very lucky because the visibility is perfect.
Few meters of foothpath on the ridge and we are at the rocky top, we take a picture together and we shelter from the wind going down few meters down the summit.
Here the sun beats on the rocks and we are sheltered from the wind, the temperature is perfect for a break and we can eat our focaccia with the view of the sea!
It is so peaceful and dramatic this place!
After a nice break at the top we go down choosing a different path and making a loop trail. We pass through a beautiful forests of Scots pine and Maritime pine, while we can see the first February’s bloom!
Now all we have to do is hike back to Alpicella and go down to Varazze for a small snack and drink on the sea!
That’s is winter hiking in Liguria!
Tags: daily hike, winter, sea, liguria
