Palmaria Island

Ciao, I'm Marco and I'm a local experienced guide of the East Liguria (Riviera di Levante). I live in a small and peaceful rural hamlet of Riccò del Golfo, in the countryside of the hills surrounding the La Spezia Gulf (The Gulf of Poets), about 2 hs walking from Cinque Terre. In a region characterised by a nature hostile to the presence of men, the need to obtain spaces for man's survival imposed a close challenge between man and nature that deeply marked both of them: the roughness of the ground is reflected in the rude and shy manners, the aridity of the soil in the stubbornness and in the hollow cheeks. Walking through the paths on the East side of the Riviera, you can personally admire, amazed and disarmed, the huge effort that such an enterprise involved and you let yourself be struck by the revelation of how much beauty man is able to create in his struggle for life in nature. You are all invited to visit Liguria by covering its charming footpaths, discovering a land of untouched fascination, walking amongst orchards, vineyards, olive groves and steep slopes, surrounded by the bright green of the maquis or by the dark and thick green of the holm-oak woods. I have been working as a guide to the Ligurian paths for several years and that gave me the chance to study in detail the historical and natural features of these scenaries. I place my knowledge at your disposal in order to give you the opportunity to deeply experience the place you chose for your stay. It will be my task to make your walking tour more pleasant by adding to the view of the landscape a narration which only a local guide, passionate and fond of his land, may offer you. I organize walking tours for Italian and English-speaking people of all ages working together several international tour operators. I like guiding private tours for couples, families and small groups, and I think that one of the most important things of my job is to welcome and to take care for details. I meet different customers every day and so I have learnt to adapt my descriptions to different interests and styles. I'm the recommended hiking guide for Cinque Terre by the most popular travelling guide book of United States (Italy by Rick Steves), by The Guardian Travel and by the Lonely Planet Magazine. As an environmental educator at the Institute of Environmental Education of Varese Ligure and of the Vara Valley, I took part in the planning, technical coordination and carrying out of school activities, through a series of environmental educational schemes, and a number of activities intended for sustainable development. I am a qualified guide of Cinque Terre National Park, Montemarcello-Magra Regional Park, Portovenere Regional Natural Park. I deeply know the Vara Valley and its paths, as well as the Alta Via of the Ligurian Mountains. I wrote the guidebook to the Vara Valley footpaths (Walking in the Vara Valley - 10 Circular Itineraries in the Inland of the Cinque Terre and Ligurian Riviera of the East Side, published by Erga Edizioni) where I described the remarkable characteristics of the natural surroundings and the villages of the Vara Valley devoting my attention on the history of the landscape and on the rural architecture. I hold a walking leader qualification and I'm qualified in first aid. I'm a certified Tour Guide of La Spezia Province I am not a driver. I can accompany you in your vehicle or I can arrange for a separate car and driver