Footsteps

San Bernardino, Triora

Footsteps: walks in the upper Argentina Valley

The River Argentina from the footpath to Realdo
– painting by Peter Barrett

Footsteps is a book of walks around the Argentina Valley in South West Liguria, close to the French border in Italy. It has nothing to do with the country, Argentina, by the way. I chose the title Footsteps as I felt that I was literally walking in the footsteps of members of my family who had lived in a small village called Realdo for generations. The road was only built in the 1970s and so everybody used to walk everywhere. If you have an urge to go there you can buy the book in advance from me personally or from the delicatessen La Strega di Triora or from the hotel Colomba D’Oro (an old monastery)  when you get to Triora.  The countryside is wild and rugged, mountainous and forested, inspirational and grim. Amazing walks: we have seen families of wild boar, herds of chamoix, golden eagles, adders.  Villagers speak a local dialect called Bregaschan, related to the troubadour language, Occitan. The book contains 15 walks in the valley and surrounding mountains with some local history and nature notes.

“This is a joyous little guide book of just 52 pages which mixes the  poetry of place with the placid pleasure of pedestrian endeavour.”  P.James, Herald Expresd

My great uncles