Eating and Drinking

The village trattoria offers traditional Ligurian cuisine at a reasonable price (booking essential) or for a set menu try the Santuario restaurant 4 - 7courses of great home cooked  mouth watering Italian food at a very reasonable price.  Other local villages have similar eateries.

Walking

Walks around Velva and nearby villages offer a variety of options from ridge walks with unspoilt panorama's of the Riviera and inland to walks in the woods and along streams.

Beautiful coastal footpath walks from Sestri and along the Cinque Terre are well worth exploring.  Explorations can start from Velva itself which has its own Museo Contandino open on request and water mill.  A resource pack is available to guests on arrival.  Mountain bike trails are available as well as horse riding, swimming and tennis nearby.

The Entroterra

Varese Ligure a compact and well preserved borgo market town lies inland and is a good place for artisanal organic specialities.

Velva is connected to Sestri Levante, the Riviera and inland by a convenient and inexpensive bus service that runs several times a day.

The Riviera

Sestri Levante with its charming 'centro storico' unusual isthmus and picturesque bays - 'bay of silence' and 'bay of fables' is worth a visit.

Chiaveri a well preserved borgo a short distance along the coast from Sestri Levante is where the Italians shop for style and choice and with atmospheric piazza and cloisters that are great for markets during the day and promenading in the early evening.

Also along the coast are the well heeled and stylish resorts of Portofino, Rapallo, Santa Margherita (40 mins by car).  World famous Portofino has an exceptional (and well frequented) harbor setting.

The famous "Cinque Terra" or 5 lands villages that are now a UNESCO world heritage site are unique.  Their extraordinary location can be best reached by train or boat from Sestri Levante.

With the largest "old city" in Europe, and a restored waterfront, its no wonder Genoa "La Superba" has been chosen as European city of culture for 2004.  Well worth taking time to explore in its own right.