Mark and Caroline at home in the hills of western Liguria
Image courtesy of Mark and Caroline Peterson
Mark and Caroline Peterson from Norfolk own a three-bedroom house in a small village high in the hills of western Liguria. They spend three weeks there every summer, stay for a fortnight over Christmas and New Year, and make several short visits throughout the rest of the year. When they are not at the house, they rent it to holidaymakers from various northern European countries.
What drew them to Liguria? “Like most people, we’re huge fans of Italian food” Mark explains, “which means we also have to be huge fans of physical activity – to burn it all off! We discovered the delights of hiking Italy’s wonderful trails about fifteen years ago, and this led to holidays all over the country. It was during a long walk on Liguria’s magnificent Alta Via route that we decided to buy a home in this part of Italy. It wasn’t just the views and the fresh air that won us over, it was the meals we had every night in one tiny hill village after another. Ligurian food is just superb – beautifully perfumed with delicate herbs, and the olive oil is some of the best I’ve ever tasted.