Our itinerary to follow the oil trails would start on the main S.S 48 high road, which climbs the Argentina Valley . First stop Taggia, originally a large maritime centre and flourishing port since Roman days. Irresistible would be a visit to the convent of San Domenico at Taggia, this monastery is the work of Comacine masters and dates from 1490. It was decorated by Giovanni da Montorfano There are fine paintings by Ludovic, Antonio e Francesco Brea. The museum and art gallery houses fine paintings, modern sculptures and a 15 th c. illuminated manuscript. Before leaving Taggia make sure to visit the small wine bar Globo, Piazza 4 Novembre, where around you'll only hear spoken ligurian dialect and relish the local specialities, the very fine Torta di verdure (Vegetable Cake), sardenaira (A pizza made of tomato, olives and herbs – without cheese) or Focaccia con olive e cipolla (local bread thick with local oil, olives and onions) none of this would complete without some local wine, maybe a “Frizzantino”, light sparkling and joyful local fizz or a glass of the local “Moscato di Taggia” (Moscatello), one of the most acclaimed wines since antiquity.

The road then leads on to Badalucco, a fortified feudal village, where you can explore the “carrugi”(long winding alleyways of medieval antiquity); unmissable is the 16 th c. church . Here the valley is crossed by magnificent and distinctive stone hump back bridges. One of which leads to the fine and highly recommended Ristorante dei Funghi (Ca mea, S,S, 548 Tel.no. 0184 408 173). The menu of which is translated below: (coming soon)

As you can see all of the local dishes are cooked with the local porcini mushrooms, which are picked in secret locations in the surrounding mountains. These mushrooms have been the object of the occasional firing of gunshots, between competing peasants who search for booty, particularly higher up where the French and Italian mountains have a common frontier.

We recommend that the local olive oil is sampled and maybe a few bottles of the very finest extra virgin olive oil, selected for use at home in the following frantoio (oil mills), which can be found in and around Badalucco:

Frantoio Nuvoloni, Via Lungo Argentina 121, Taggia

Antico Frantoio di Badalucco (As soon as you past the Village Sign, it is on your right)

Rio Olio, 1 Via Argentina - Badalucco

A good Restaurant in Badalucco is Ristorante Il Ponte, Via Ortai (The owner's family has a very famous Italian restaurant in London's Beauchamp Place).

From here the road climbs in the direction of Molini. The mountain stream which accompanies the road, has many fine spots for a picnic. The granite rocks form steep pools, which offer marvellous swimming to cool off on a suitable hot summer day. The air is perfumed with the smells of lemon and pine, rosemary and myrtle. Here you may catch sight of the indigenous wildlife, golden eagles, marmots, ermine, wild boar, deer, buzzards, hawks and kestrels, which roam in the wild open expanse of the mountains, safeguarded by the National Park. In the summer you can walk in the chestnut woods surrounded by butterflies.

A short stop on the road is recommended at Montalto. The little village on the slopes of the mountain of Colletto includes precious paintings by Ludovic Brea from the 1400's. Here in the parish church of of San Giovanni Battista there are also paintings by Luca Cambiaso, one of the greatest Italian Manierist Painters. The 4 th century frescoes in the church of San Giorgio are amongst the oldest to be found in Western Liguria .

Continuing to Molini di Triora, which was once a wealthy medieval borgo, due to the work of its 23 water mills. Here one can visit the 14th c. village church of exceptional charm “Santuario della Nostra della Monta “. No visit would be complete without a ceremoniously long lunch at the Hotel Giovanna, Via Nuova 54 (Tel. 0184 94 026), served by il Signor Francesco and his squad of black coated waiters. The menu is a lingering gastronomic tour of local specialities and is without exception an encounter which never lasts for less than two to three hours. This is the menu:

Above Molini is Triora, a medieval village untouched by modernisation. It is famous as home of the witches and sorcery. It was here that the witch Cubutina and her 30 accomplices were accused of having caused a terrible famine and were condemned to death by the inquisition .