Outdoor tourism: a ring marries the municipalities of the upper Val Nervia [Photo gallery]

36 km of paths that connect the villages of the hinterland of Apricale, Bajardo, Castel Vittorio and Isolabona, suitable for hiking, sporting and cultural tourism: this is the great project promoted by the Provincial Coldiretti of Imperia and by the Mayors of the municipalities involved and by private partners, with a view to redeveloping the territory and enhancing the landscapes, historic villages and local food and wine products.

[Bajardo, credit Davide Papalini]

This was notified by Coldiretti Imperia, announcing the progress of the works that include the construction of a trail ring to revive the territory of Imperia's inland, historically an agricultural vocation, including tourism, showing the potential of its historical and cultural heritage, considered of inestimable value. As corollary of the project are planned interventions for the recovery of historical artistic assets kept in these villages, including the medieval bridge of Bajardo, the old furnace of Isolabona, the still imposing ruins of the monastic site of San Pietro in Ento di Apricale, the ancient way of Castel Vittorio, while, for the valorization of the typical local varieties will be recovered the ancient hazel groves of the area, thanks to research studies conducted by IRF (Regional Institute for Floriculture).

[Isolabona, credit Flickr]

The project, carried out thanks to the partnership agreement signed between the provincial Coldiretti, the mayors, local institutes and private operators, is fully part of the LAG's projects, which through the calls for proposals financed by the 2014-2020 RDP, aim to action strategies, that respond to the needs of the areas involved, like the recovery of uncultivated land, structural improvements for the local farms or, as in this case, aimed at favoring the conditions for the development of a sustained local market, thanks tourism, through the food and wine enhancement of agricultural products. This last type of intervention will allow the dissemination of local culture through the promotion and use of the territory, fully interpreting the needs of knowledge that new travelers have.