Taking it slow walking Italy’s Salt Road

From rural Lombardy to the Ligurian coastline, Richard Holmes enjoys the ultimate scenic route on the Via del Sale

Hiking the Salt Road in Liguria (Richard Holmes)

Walking holidays are, no pun intended, all about the ups and downs. And it was somewhere near the village of Castellaro that I first began to question my decision. With rain coming in sideways, my muddy path turning rapidly into a muddy stream, I began to wonder why I had thought it such a fine idea to walk just shy of 100 kilometres through Liguria, from the heart of Oltrepo Pavese to the sea.

Luckily, the Via del Sale was quick to show me the answer.  

That path had begun two days before in the quiet village of Mornico Losana, an hour’s train ride south of Milan. In late-summer, the vines and pomegranate trees hang heavy with fruit, and it’s not hard to see why this corner of Lombardy has been dubbed ‘Little Tuscany’.