A
h, Italy! Images of famed
masterpieces, majestic
churches and revered
historical sights immediately
come to mind. Not to
mention the food, glorious food, and
wine that seems to run like water in
this fabled destination. Most people
pinpoint a few notable cities when
they talk about Italy, primarily the
well-known, “must-see” triad of
Rome, Florence and Venice. Such
places are typically on every
traveler’s bucket list and often serve
48
as representative of the country as
a whole. After touring these locales,
many travelers feel they have seen
Italy and opt to move on to the next
European hot spot on their agenda.
Years ago, when I first went to Italy,
I dashed madly from town to town,
crossing off sights at rapid speed,
then proudly announcing my feat to
others. I had “done” Italy...or so I
thought. Subsequent trips to this
magical destination later in my life
fortunately proved this assumption
wrong. The truth is that one can’t
truly appreciate Italy as viewed
solely via some frenetic whirlwind
city tour. Italy demands time –
time to slow down and engage your
senses, and to fully indulge in La
Dolce Vita.
Walking and cycling through a
country are wonderful ways to relax
the pace of travel, and I have enjoyed
both these styles in the past. On my
most recent trip to Italy, however,
I decided to join a kayak expedition in
order to see the country from a
different perspective, one paddle
stroke at a time.
My eleven-day kayaking adventure
with award-winning Tofino
Expeditions focused on Cinque
Terre and Sardinia, two of the most
beautiful areas in Italy that also
happen to be world class paddling
destinations. The trip began and
ended in Genova, the capital city of
the Liguria region, which is situated
around the northwestern coast of the