Karin and Philippe suggested a day out, not to Cannes or Monaco, but to a village in Italy that Leashia and I had never heard of before. We guessed it might be something pretty special, and it was. Dolceacqua is about an hour drive from Nice just over the border in Italy. The road there was busy but pleasant [well Philippe was driving, I just enjoyed the views]. We knew we were getting close to Italy when the cars started to look a bit weird! We passed by the multi-storey houses of the hillside town of Ventimiglia Alta before arriving at our destination.

Dolceacqua

Dolceacqua is a picture perfect medieval hilltown nestled in the Nervia Valley. The 15th century stone bridge Ponte Vecchio insipired Claude Monet who stayed near there in 1884, [thanks Google].

On our arrival we managed to find a place to park, but it was clear that although we had never heard of the place before, it’s clearly no secret. Despite the crowds Dolceacqua was an absolute gem of a place. The fact that it was a warm sunday and there was an open market added to its draw. We had a mooch around the market, I would have loved to have bought some food but sadly due to the ongoing restrictions bringing meat and cheese into the UK I was unable to indulge- gah!

We all headed to a bar for a drinky before a superb lunch at L’osteria Di Caterina which Philippe was keen for us to visit [he knows his stuff!]. The ceps, porcini and pasta dishes were incredible!

It was then time to explore the maze of narrow passages leading up the hill to the Castle [Chateau]. Once in the passages we left the hustle and bustle of the market behind and it was quiet and the air was cool as we walked up the hill.

The castle, which is also known as Castello dei Doria dates back to the 13th century and has a prime location with lofty views of the surrounding countryside. Monet painted the Chateau and the bridge below it when he visited in 1884. and you can see it here.

Menton [France]