My velvet escape travel tip: Liguria

“My velvet escape travel tip” is a guest series about what the name ‘Velvet Escape’ evokes and what that would be in the hometown of the guest writer. With this series, I hope to uncover travel tips from places around the world to help visitors have a truly local experience.

Beach at Camogli

Milan is celebrated by shopaholics, fashionistas and design lovers. But living in Milan is a different thing. Too much concrete, traffic, pollution and noise; and too many people continuously running, never smiling, angry with life. At least, that’s the way I feel about the city I live in. However, Milan has an unparalleled privilege compared to other major European cities: thanks to its geographical position, it is close to the mountains, the lakes, the sea and beautiful cities such as Venice, Florence and Verona. Therefore, while I find that it can be a city that is sometimes difficult to live in, the many fabulous ‘velvet’ escapes in the vicinity more than compensate.

Camogli harbour

My favourite velvet escape is Camogli, a small town on the sea in the Liguria Region. I love it especially in autumn, winter and early spring, when the sky is clearer, the light is bright and the town is not too crowded. To me, Camogli is a little gem, with its coloured houses overlooking the sea, and surrounded by awesome nature.

I’ve been to Camogli repeatedly, and each time, it is a feast for the senses. I like just staying for a while on the seashore and hearing the sound of the sea; having a drink on a terrace at sunset; admiring the gorgeous nuances of the sky; enjoying one of the many walks throughout the Portofino headland; or taking the slow ferry that leads to the other bays.

cheese focaccia

When I go to Camogli, I leave the stress of Milan behind. The town and its beautiful surroundings have a unique calming effect on me. I never plan what to do. Instead, I allow the town to work its magic on me and I decide at the moment what I feel like doing.

A trip to Camogli would not be complete without a piece of ‘focaccia’, the local specialty. For once, I forget about calories and simply jump on a couple of slices of normal and cheese “focaccia”. Simply divine!

About this week’s guest writer
Simonetta Falvo spent her childhood in a small mountain village in Switzerland but later returned to Italy, where she was born, at the age of 18. She worked in investment banking for ten 10 years, then nine years in a PR agency. “Blogging is something I started for fun while I was jobless, but I quickly got very passionate about it as I discovered the power of the web and how many nice people sharing similar interests there are around the world. The purpose of my blog? Very small and maybe also very big: sharing the incredible feelings and emotions that travel can arouse, mine as well as those of other travellers. Our world is such a great place to explore!” Read about Simonetta’s travels on her blog: Wild About Travel.

Follow Simonetta on Twitter.

Read more ‘My velvet escape travel tips‘:

• Tokyo, Japan
• New York City, USA
• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Paris, France
• Lanzarote, Spain
• Whitsunday islands, Australia
• Normandy, France
• Lake District, Cumbria, England
• Nova Scotia Atlantic Coast, Canada
• London, England
• Miami, Florida, USA
• Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
• Bali, Indonesia
• Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Tucson, Arizona, USA
• Toronto, Canada