Hill villages from Provence to Liguria

Cotignac opens your trip, with a tall tufa cliff full of caves rising right behind the village. Sit under the plane trees of the long main square, then walk to the waterfall of the Cassole. Taste the village's own wine from the cooperative, then on to Tourtour.

Tourtour, nicknamed Provence's sky village, looks out from its hilltop towards the Montagne Sainte-Victoire. Follow the spring water to the fountains and the wash house, and call in at the oil mill that still works, where Tourtour olive oil is made. Next, on to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie climbs a cliff where the Verdon Gorge begins on its western side. Look up for the gilded star hung between two crags, visit the faïence museum, and browse the painted pottery in the shops. Stay the night here, with some local honey or nougat to take home.

Entrevaux is a walled town perched on rock above a loop of the Var, reached across a fortified bridge. Pass through the Porte Royale, then climb the zigzag path up to the citadel. Have some secca de boeuf, the local dried beef, at dinner, and stay on here for the night.

The third day begins at Bargème, the Var's highest village and a protected site in the Verdon regional park. Wander its quiet streets in the high country around the Artuby, then on to Seillans.

Seillans is where Max Ernst settled with Dorothea Tanning, and each August concerts fill its church. Walk the steep, car-free medieval centre up to the castle and the church, and look for his sculptures outdoors. Then on to Gourdon.

Gourdon is the Eagle's Nest, clinging to a sheer peak above the river Loup. Walk in by its single entrance, visit the castle with its gardens designed by André Le Nôtre, then lean on the village edge to look over the valley. Stay the night here.

Saorge hangs on steep hillsides over the Roya gorges, its tall houses once guarding the old salt road. Lose yourself in the stepped, vaulted lanes of the medieval core, and look down into the gorges below. Settle in for the evening here or nearby, perhaps with some Nice olive oil to taste.

Badalucco greets you across a humpbacked medieval bridge, with its stone houses strung along the stream. Wander the caruggi and small squares of the old centre, and look up at the olive terraces. Pick up a bottle of Taggiasca olive oil, then on to Triora.

Triora is the village of witches, and its ethnographic museum keeps the story of the trials in its cellars. Visit the museum, then step into the Collegiata, and buy a loaf of Pane di Triora to take with you. Next, on to Pieve di Teco.

Pieve di Teco stands on a brief level strip of valley bottom, where three narrow valleys meet. Walk its old streets, look in at the collegiate church of San Giovanni Battista, and glance up at the ring of peaks. Stay the night here or nearby.

Your last stop is Zuccarello, where a single arcaded street runs between pillars of every shape. Walk from one old gate to the other, climb to the castle ruins, and learn the tale of the original Bastian contrario. Then the road runs on to Genoa Airport.