| Just southeast of Genova, where the Appennine mountains fall into the sea, lies one of the most beautiful and varied coastlines of the Mediterranean. From the exclusive yacht harbor of Portofino to the isolated fishing villages of the Cinque Terre, this is a spectacular and ideal hiking area. Here, a turn in the trail can easily give way to a totally new landscape. Lush woods with floors of shoulder high fern lie just hundreds of yards distant from more arid pine forests. On steeper slopes, high above the sea, the vineyards which produce the area's crisp white wine stand in stark contrast to the blue waters below.
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