One of the first towns I noticed when studying a map of Liguria was Masone, or Mason,E as I like to think of it, even if it is pronounced Mah-zoh-nay. Naturally, I wanted to visit this town, which is just a little ways inland from Genova. We started off the day in Campo Ligure, one town further inland than Masone, because that’s where the train station is. Campo Ligure is a small, medieval town watched over by a castle dating back to the twelfth century. We were shown this castle by a friendly, older gentleman who noticed us taking pictures of the church in the pretty main square. He was a fan of photography and wanted to show us a good spot to take pictures. High above the town, the castle’s lookout tower provided great views of the tangle of red rooftops below, and the surrounding hills we would soon be walking through.
From Campo Ligure Masone is either a 10 minute bus ride along the bank of a river or a 3 hour hike through the hills. We decided on the hike. It started started out quite pleasantly as we followed well marked signs along the side of a hill overlooking the valley below. After awhile we found ourselves in the woods where the trail was abruptly stopped by a fallen tree. Undeterred, we climbed around the tree and picked up what we thought was the trail. Soon we found ourselves smack in the middle of someone’s backyard, between the dog kennel and vegetable patch. It was time to ask for directions. We flagged down a man who just pulled into his driveway, and he explained there were two ways to get to Masone: follow the road back into town and take the bus or follow the other road over the 783 meter Mount Tacco. In the spirit of a good hike, We chose Mount Tacco. The road up was in good shape with packed gravel, but it was STEEP! After schlepping up it to what we thought was the crest of the mountain, it soon became clear that we were only curling back down the same side of the mountain. Resigned, we turned back to head to Campo Ligure to catch the bus, which after nearly 3 hours of hiking didn’t seem like such a bad option.

Masone, at first sight, is less than spectacular. Plain apartment buildings line a main street, and the historic center doesn’t have any stand out sights. Masone is, however, smack in the middle of the Valle di latte, Valley of milk, and that means fresh cheese! Along the main street we found a little shop that makes it’s own cheese in a back room using local milk. We bought a hunk of this “nastro produzione” cheese and a few fresh baked roles, and that is when Masone became well worth the effort to see.

Last Modified : April 20th, 2007
Filed under : Italy, Trips
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