Review of Walk the Della Amore

Buongiorno... Our recent honeymoon involved a drive around northern Italy. The moment we crossed the border into Italy my new husband developed a way to pronounce everything like "The Godfather" - all rrrrr's and hand gestures!

After wearing a hole in the dashboard (with clenched fingers) as we careered over the countryside and shot through tunnels on the Autostrade we made it to the awesome seaside village of Levanto, the perfect base to explore the famous 'Cinque Terre' - five of the most picturesque cliff top villages hugging the coastline.

The highlight of this region is to walk the "Della Amore" or 'Lovers Lane', which links all the villages. It was a brilliant day out, although the walking was a little more challenging than expected. Up and down stairs and along goat tracks really got the heart rate going. The reward? Through vineyards and olive groves, amazing views of the magical azure sea and the promise of another gelato in the next charming village. Which brings us to our main obsession and highlight of Italy — the food! Pizzerias, tratorrias, gelaterrias, foccacerias, tappacerias and even yoghurterrias!

Our first night in Levanto we sampled some fresh Genovese pesto, from the traditional home of pesto, and had tasted nothing like it before! Whilst traipsing the Cinque Terre, the simple lunch of a slice of foccacia gave us the energy to forfeit the convenient and frequent train ride between villages and we chose another 6 km of hills instead! (I was particularly fond of the fresh tomato and eggplant, while hubby enjoyed the mozzarella and prosciutto.)

After a few days relaxing by the seaside in Levanto, the hire car zipped us down to the Tuscan heavyweight - Florence. Sipping a beer and vino (Chianti or Brunello for this region) we relaxed on a terrace perched up on Piazza Michaelangelo. We were treated to a dramatic display as the turbulent summer weather changed the light across Firenze.

Our days were spent wondering at famous sculptures, frescoes and architecture. The Duomo was the most amazing sight, dominating the skyline. Along with the echoing of bells on the hour from the numerous towers across the Arno valley, reminding us we were somewhere special.