We travelled by train from Toulouse to Genoa and then onto Barga in Tuscany. The trains are all very comfortable and very reasonably priced. We arrived in Genoa at 9.30pm and got lost trying to find our Airbnb. By the time we found it I had 2 huge blisters on my feet, the winter shoes had not been worn for nearly 3 years and my feet clearly did not like them! Once we arrived we then had to climb a very narrow staircase to the 6th floor carrying all our luggage. By the time we got to the top we were both quite exhausted and ready for bed. Our accommodation was in a small flat on the rooftop overlooking Genoa. We were sharing the flat with the owner and his friend. It was all very cosy and I think very typical of the way people live in Genoa
We spent the next day exploring the town and harbour. It is not a place I would go back to, we found it very dirty and quite seedy in areas. But the buildings were old and interesting to look at, narrow cobblestone streets twist and wind their way down to the harbour front where we found ourselves spending most of the day.
The train journey from Toulouse to Genoa was very interesting, the last part along the French Riviera where we passed some beautiful coastline and marinas full of mega yachts. The journey from Genoa to Pisa along the Italian Riviera was equally as interesting and pretty.
Finally arriving in Barga, northern Tuscany we were met by Jerry’s sister and brother in law, Cheryl and Mark. They have a house in a small village, Sommocolonia, 750m high in the mountains overlooking the Serchio Valley. I instantly fell in love with Tuscany, the view from their house is amazing.
The view from the terrace looking down onto the town of Barga.
Looking back up at Sommocolonia. The house is directly below the tower with the 4 open windows.
Sommocolonia was home to the American Buffalo Soldiers who defended the village from the Germans during World War 2. We spent 12 beautiful days in Sommocolonia relaxing, enjoying the peace and tranquillity, eating and drinking Italian style, visiting tiny villages and enjoying a few walks on the mountain tops. The air is clear and the weather was perfect and the view from the terrace was mesmerizing.
A walk down the old mule track into Barga took about 90 mins. The road connecting the 2 places was only put in in the 1960’s (I think). So imagine how hard life was up until then.
We enjoyed watching this local tree lopper trim a tree at the house. A very dodgy safety harness, chainsaw in one hand and mobile phone in the other!
We took the local train from Barga along the coastline of the Cinque Terre. If you have the time you can walk from one village to the next along the coastal pathways. At this time of year it was very busy with walkers doing just that. Each village is different, very quaint, lots of restaurants and bars and the coastline is quite beautiful.
A walk one day took us high up to the village of San Pellegrino where we walked along part of the GR to the El Giro, a pile of stones that have been placed here over many years. The story goes is that you carry a stone to the top here where the pile lays, turn a circle 3 times at the same time confessing a lie you have told and want to be forgiven. The bigger the stone the bigger the lie! As you can see from our photo we all only had little fibs to confess.
It was a beautiful day and we had a picnic lunch at the top while enjoying the views all around. 
At the church in the village there is a glass tomb with the body of Saint Peregrine and his servant(hermit friend) Bianci. The legend is that Saint Peregrine was the son of the King of Scotland who embarked on a pilgrimage to Europe ending his days in this village. They have been very well preserved and it was quite eerie to be able to get so close to them.
Each village seems to have a story to tell of its own. The walks are plentiful and enjoyable. Hopefully we will return and next time we will do more walking and maybe stay overnight in villages along the way.
I could not resist taking a photo of this Italian gentleman at a restaurant we were at. I had to be discreet and pretend I was taking a picture of Jerry then zoom in. It was well worth it, check out this hairstyle. It must have taken hours in front of the mirror and the colour was amazing!
And what about this treehouse. Built out on the edge of the cliff overlooking the valley. How lucky the children are who play in this.
Another view of Sommocolonia………
A place to sit and relax, soak up the Tuscan sun….
and enjoy a glass of wine or two…
