Grand Tour of Italy: In the footsteps of Rob, Rylan and co

My head feels dizzier with each intrepid footstep, but we soon reach a small stone house and patio delivering jaw dropping views across the Cinque Terre National Park with its craggy rocks and crashing ocean waves below us.

Heydi Bonanini is the 11th generation of his family to have worked these ancient vine terraces and has brought us here to show us where the wine we’ll be tasting later is painstakingly nurtured, from first juicy grape to the final bottling. It takes a true passion to cultivate these steep terraces and when Heydi’s grandmother could no longer continue, he was determined to carry on the tradition.

Heydi has done his grandmother proud and today, under the ‘Possa’ label, he produces five award-winning wines, including Sciacchetra, a sweet wine (put all thoughts of auntie’s cheap sherry out of your head) with a delicious almond aftertaste.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a home in the region that doesn’t stock a bottle but so precious is this liquor (named the best sweet wine in all of Italy) that it often only sees the light of day on special occasions such as weddings or christenings.

Orange seller on the hiking route

My favourite white, the Vermentino, with a fresh citrussy taste, accompanies our dinner that evening at the boutique five-star Grand Hotel in Portovenere, which is our home for the next few days.

This once tiny fishing village, where tall brightly painted skinny houses cling to the cliff edge, is at the heart of Liguria’s wine producing region, close to the border of Tuscany, on the Italian Riviera.

For an aperitif, there’s just time to savour a refreshing Ligurian Spritz, a mix of limoncello, prosecco and fresh basil (the Grand’s signature cocktail), before taking a seat in the hotel’s nautical themed restaurant, with its blue green sea views across to Palmaria island. I agonise over the menu, which has been inspired by the legendary Grand Tours of European aristocracy, eagerly anticipating my very own taste of authentic Italy.

Is it to be Milanese risotto with wild mushrooms? Rack of lamb with crunchy vegetables? Or spaghetti carbonara with smoked goose and truffle? I choose the aubergine, tomato, and mozzarella cheese flan for starters to give myself more thinking time. The lamb has it and the decision is a good one. My menu choice for tomorrow is already running through my mind as I’m curious to taste the Vitello tonnato with asparagus tips and truffle, a Piedmont dish of cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy, mayonnaise-like tuna sauce. But no, maybe the rock octopus with spiced new potatoes and black garlic mayonnaise will prove too irresistible? It’s no easy decision and likely to keep me awake tonight.

From the 17th to19th centuries, British nobility took in the 'Grand Tour' of this region in what was seen as an educational ‘rite of passage’.

On Sunday on BBC1, TV presenters Rylan Clark and Rob Rinder begin their own Grand Tour and travel to Venice, Florence and Rome following in the footsteps of one of the most famous of Grand Tourists, romantic poet Lord Byron, on the 200th anniversary of his death.

Photo from Rob & Rylan's Grand Tour. Photo. BBC/Rex TV/Zinc Media/Lana Salah.

Back at the hotel, I learn that careful renovation work has focussed on preserving the building’s precious historical features (Franciscan monks were busy establishing a monastery on this site back in the 1600s). The hotel’s junior suites have panoramic terraces that sit under the arches once belonging to the monks’ cloister. My spacious room has a relaxing simplicity with its exposed red brick vaulted ceiling, the main attraction though being the panoramic sea views.

Its UNESCO World Heritage status draws millions of visitors to the Cinque Terre National Park every year, so called because of the five medieval villages of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, situated just north of here. But fewer visitors realise that Portovenere, with its brightly coloured houses perched on a rocky outcrop is one of the most beautiful of the region’s towns with its yacht lined marina and an altogether more relaxed vibe.

On an early morning stroll we discover a labyrinth of steep narrow backstreets, lined with artisan boutiques, charming restaurants, and cafes where shop keepers try to entice us to taste their fresh pesto. Originating from Genoa, this tasty blend of pecorino cheese, basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil was initially crafted to ward off scurvy among sailors but today it’s a cherished Ligurian speciality.

Colourful houses of Portovenere

After exploring the town, a water taxi awaits to ferry us to Vernazza, arguably the prettiest of the Cinque Terre villages. From here we set out on a three-mile hike, with dramatic coastal views of the azure ocean, stopping en route to buy freshly picked oranges to quench our thirst, before reaching the neighbouring village of Corniglia. The herbs, capers, lemons, and basil that thrive among these cliffs make the perfect companion for the chef’s homemade tagliatelle, gnocchi, and ravioli, at our evening meal later in the cosy restaurant, the 3 Torre Trattoria, back in Portovenere.

Next day, after an invigorating hike on Palmaria Island, we’re whisked away by the Moby Dick, a luxurious motor launch, for an excursion to the legendary Bay of Poets, so called because of the English literary crowd who came here to soak up inspiration, including DH Lawrence, Lord Byron and Percy and Mary Shelley.

Our tour guide Marta recounts how, according to legend, Byron swam from Portovenere to San Terenzo near Lerici across the Gulf of La Spezia to visit his friend Percy. No one seems to care if there’s any truth in the legend, but it provides a handy pretext for the annual ‘Coppa Byron’ race, when entrants compete to swim the same 7.5 km distance.

Today though, sunbathing wins out over swimming. As we recline on the polished wooden deck, basking in the warmth of the sun, we’re treated to a delicious lunch of focaccia bread, succulent oysters, and spaghetti with mussels fresh from the crystal-clear waters of the bay.

The Vermentino wine is flowing, and as the spring sunshine reaches a perfect 20 degrees, I can’t help feeling like one of the Grand Tour set myself, as another oyster glides easily down my throat.

Factfile

Where to stay:

The Grand Hotel Portovenere

To book visit www.portoveneregrand.com

Palmaria Restaurant – www.palmariarestaurant.com

The Grand Hotel also offers complimentary parking.

How to get there:

Ryanair – Flights from Manchester and London Stansted to Pisa

Trains – run regularly from Pisa airport to La Spezia and the hotel offers a private transfer service from La Spezia.

Tours – organised by the Grand Hotel

Cookery Class

If you wish to recreate a few of the local flavours back home, book in advance to join the chef of Palmaria Restaurant for a cooking class, where you will learn how to make potato gnocchi, Ligurian-style pesto, and classic Italian tiramisu.

Oyster Farm Boat Tour

Hop aboard a boat to a local oyster farm and tuck into an oyster-based aperitif accompanied by homemade focaccia and crisp white wine from the Cinque Terre.

Vineyard Tour

Visit the Possa vineyard and winery in Riomaggiore, where you can meet an artisan producer who produces Sciacchetrà, a sweet white wine that dates to ancient Roman times.

Apuan Alps

Take a day trip into the Apuan Alps in the neighbouring region of Tuscany, where you can enjoy an immersive tour of the Carrara marble quarries, which is where the great Italian sculptor Michelangelo sourced his materials for his masterpieces.

Getting around

A water taxi runs from Portovenere and offers a hop on and hop off ticket for the day. Trains also run regularly from La Spezia to the five villages of the Cinque Terre.

Restaurant Tip

Trattoria Le 3 Torri, Portovenere

To book visit www.trattoriatretorri.it/en/

* Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour starts on Sunday May 12, 9pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.