Days are getting older and warmer. Spring has come in the whole Liguria and one of the best trekking times to go on with our adventure has come with the new season: LiguriaTrekkingeXperience!
For this fourth stage we go to Andora, a nice little sea village along the east coast of the Riviera dei Fiori.
An easy and panoramic path is waiting for us: the path Mezzacqua, combining the sea of Andora and the little village of Colla Micheri, an ancient Roman place overlooking the sea.
Thanks to the simplicity and the mild weather of Liguria, this itinerary is walkable all year long, even during sunny winter days!
The Path Mezzacqua: trekking from Andora to Colla Micheri
Our point of departure is the pier of Andora. This magnificent walk by the sea is dedicated to the famous Norwegian explorer and anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl who spent his last years in this little village. He moved to the stunning village of Colla Micheri, perhaps because he got delighted by the extraordinary views. Not by chance this little village is the arrival of our trekking trip!
From the pier we reach Via Mezzacqua, crossing the center of Andora. Along this paved street which names the route, we meet the signposts for the chapel of Mezzacqua, a little church with a stone porch, a real must-see.
Keeping Via Mezzacqua after 200 metres we meet a bar stopping the passage of cars. A dirt trail starts from this point onwards.
As the way is really easy, we fully enjoy this stroll in the green of Liguria. We get fascinated by so many kinds of plants growing here. In particular we cannot but admire the old oaks and hazel trees offering beauty to our glance and shade to passersby.
Following the several signposts, we get to the church of S. Damiano which was built in 1460, 113 m above sea level. The stone church, whose structure is protected by the canopies of two high pines, has been abandoned for years. For this reason the atmosphere we breathe here is really romantic and scenic.
An epigraph with the date of construction and the customer’s name on it is placed on one side of the church.
Next to the church of S. Damiano are placed two guideposts. The first one shows the route leading to the Castle of Andora and the church of SS Giacomo and Filippo. We know that if we choose this itinerary we meet several traces of the Medieval path. We decide to keep on following the path Mezzacqua and take the other trail in another future trekking day.
We cross one of the most ancient Roman roads in the whole Liguria: Via Iulia Augusta which Emperor Octavian Augustus had it built in 13 b.C.
Walking upwards for about 10-15 minutes, we reach the little village of Colla Micheri, with its cobblestone alleys and its surmounting stone archs. At once we realize time seems to stand still. Each view, each alley and the nice little paved square in the centre of the village seems to belong to a book of History, creating an atmosphere rich of past times and great feelings.
To end our adventure we follow the trail passing above the village and taking to the old stone mill. It is a circular building placed on the top of the headland.
From the mill and the trail on the crest going onwards, the sight is really breathtaking.
Andora leads around us, the sea shines under the sunlight and the isle of Gallinara, solitary, seems to float on the water.
After walking for an hour in the green of nature, we are strongly excited. We let the beauty and the peace of the place wrap our minds and then happily we decide to come back along our way towards the sea.
Here is the list of Andora’s accommodations where you can stay:
