1° DAY: GENOA
Arrival to Genoa. Free time. Late afternoon meeting with our assistant who will explain the tour. Overnight at PALAZZO GRILLO**** or similar
2° DAY: GENOVA – RECCO – CAMOGLI
Breakfast. Departure to Recco, the "culinary capital" of Liguria, famous in all the world for its cheese focaccia. We’ll get a tasting of it! Lunch in Recco at “La Barracchetta”, a typical and very famous tavern which serves focaccia and some dishes from the Ligurian tradition. We’ll proceed to Camogli and visit of this exquisite fisherman village with a view on the Gulf of Paradise. A typical, romantic seaside village characterized by highly-stacked and vivaciously-painted houses, Camogli is part of a magnificent natural setting that has enchanted tourists the world over, for centuries. It is the calling for those wanting to enjoy a mix of relaxation, culture, seaside fun and great food. In the late afternoon return to Genoa. Overnight
3° DAY: GENOA – RAPALLO – PORTOFINO – GENOA
Breakfast. Departure to Rapallo. Meeting with our tourist guide, who will escort you to “Parla come Mangi” (Speak as you eat) HD tour. We’ll start with a cooking class where you can admire how pesto has done and taste it! Following a short tour of the town market. Time for “farinata” (gruel) tasting, a sort of focaccia made of chickpea flour. At the end Ligurian wine tasting. In the first afternoon, departure to Portofino by ferry and time to visit the famous village with our guide “A small village, Portofino stretches crescent-shaped along the edge of this calm bay”, so wrote Guy de Maupassant when describing Portofino, tiny sea village on the Italian Riviera circumscribed by the green of the Natural Regional Park and Marine Reserve. The “Piazzetta,” meeting-up point for the international jet-set, is the symbol of Portofino, while the port, with its characteristic, brightly-colored houses, is the icon of this borgo’s maritime traditions, whose inhabitants were called delfini (“dolphins”) by the Greeks and Romans, so apt were they at sea navigation. In the late afternoon ferry to Genoa. Overnight
4° DAY: GENOA
Breakfast. Entire day dedicated to the visit of Genoa with our licensed guide. We’ll spend the morning to discover the “tastes of Genoa” by a unique culinary tour at the best and tradition shops. We’ll start from the “caruggi” (the old and narrow alleys of the historic center of Genoa) with the following steps:
- Farinata tasting at “Sciamadda”
- typical Genoese Focaccia at “Antico Forno di Via Ravecca”
- Chocolate tasting at “Viganotti” with visit of their craft workshop
- Confetti and rosolio tasting at “Romanengo”
- Panarea ice cream tasting at “Cremeria Bonafede”
- Bergamotto tasting (bergamot liqueur) at “San Siro”
Lunch in restaurant with a typical Ligurian menu. Afternoon dedicated to the LGBT Genoa itinerary with our licensed guide. Overnight
5° DAY: GENOA – FINALBORGO – ALASSIO/ALBENGA
Breakfast. Departure to Finalborgo and visit of the hamlet. Departure to FINALBORGO and visit of the hamlet
About Finalborgo: “Closed between still well preserved medieval walls, interspersed with semi-circular towers and interrupted only in correspondence of the doors, the village of Finale (so called to distinguish it from the Marina) immediately offers the visitor a sense of protection and recollection. The ancient conception of defence and community survives in the crosslinked streets, arranged perpendicularly to each other to form fascinating views in contained spaces. Go through narrow lanes, each square is a conquest and a surprise, able to exhibit wonders in the "Finale stone" slate adorning doorways, modelling itself into columns, diamonds, ornaments. The historic center of Finalborgo for several centuries the capital of the Marquisate and administrative center of Finale, stands in a strategic position on the alluvial plain at the confluence of the rivers Pora and Aquila. To appreciate, in addition to the history that permeates the walls of the village, also the delicious local cuisine. In the Finale coexist two culinary souls, as to its nature, one linked to the sea and a mountain. In addition to fish dishes embellished with aromatic herbs, many preparations with a basis of vegetables: Ravioli of boraggine, Ravioli of Scorzonera, quiches artichokes based or characteristics courgettes trumpets and rice. The famous and delicious the "fugassin", (focaccette fried) and the panissa. A typical recipe of Finale is that of "chifferi", cakes made with almonds, sugar and orange flowers. Who reproposed in modern times these traditional sweets was Blessed Iron, former sailor with the passion of the pastry art that in 1872 opened a bakery at Finalmarina, still open. The etymology, probably of Arabic derivation (kefir = moon), stems precisely from half moon shape that is given to these delicious pastries made with almonds. It seems that the word seems to derive from the German Kipfel, sweet crescent shaped devised by a viennese baker to celebrate the liberation of the city from the Turkish siege in 1683. Typical cultivation of the place is the orange pernambucco. The local wines are Vermentino, Lumassina, Pigato (white), Rossese and Granaccia (red). Typical Products in addition to wine: craft beer, honey, oil
Following a farm visit where “Chinotto” is produced (drink based on chinotto fruit, a kind of bitter orange). Departure to Albenga. Overnight
6° DAY: ALBENGA – IMPERIA – ALBENGA
Breakfast. Departure to Imperia. Visit of Fratelli Carli Factory (oil production) and museum. We could find out how Ligurian oil is made and at the end we can taste it! In the afternoon departure to Salea, near Albenga, to visit a winery where “pigato” is produced. At the end of the visit a wine tasting and back to the hotel. Overnight
7° DAY: ALBENGA
Breakfast. According to the number of participants, RainbowItaly can propose this itinerary in self-drive, minibus, GT bus, luxury car with private driver and everything can be personalized, starting from a basic package that includes:
- Late afternoon meeting with our assistant the first day
- 6 nights in gay friendly 4**** selected hotels
- Breakfast included
- Licensed tour guide for all the excursions specified including LGBT half day Genoa guide tour
- all the specified tastings
- “Parla come mangi” tour in Rapallo including a cooking class
- visit of a farm where Chinotto is produced
- visit of Fratelli Carli Oil Factory and Museum
- visit of winery and “Pigato” tasting
- transport
- specified meals (We can propose meals in typical restaurant with “traditional Genoese menu”)