When searching for new trails, how many times have you heard of the 'Salt Roads'? Probably more than once, right? In fact, these routes have existed for thousands of years. Although their start and end points may differ, they’ve been united by the same objective over the centuries: the transport of salt from the sea to the Po Valley and the Alps.

As far back as the Middle Ages, merchants loaded large quantities of 'white gold' – salt was called this in some areas of northern Italy because of its scarcity and high value – onto the backs of mules and travelled hundreds of kilometres over the mountains to reach the towns where it was sold. They often added anchovies, sardines, cod and other catches to the barrels. Mixing fish with salt was a very effective tactic in order to pay a lower duty at customs. Of course, at the time, salt was also essential for preserving the food.

This itinerary is of great historical interest, both for the reasons I’ve listed above and because it was travelled by pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela over the centuries. As was the case with Alpine settlements, villages in the Apennines also experienced depopulation as a result of the economic boom following World War II.

If, in the past, these paths buzzed with the hustle and bustle of merchants and their pack animals, today silence and, in some cases, abandonment reigns. However, thanks to trails like this, some villages have come back to life in recent years and the desire to invest energy and resources to bring the past back to life has grown.

Nowadays you walk into a shop, take a bag of salt from the shelf, pay at the till and that's it. In the old days, there was no such luxury. Many people suffered from cretinism, a disease that arose due to a deficiency of sodium, which led to severe mental and physical developmental delays and often manifested as goitre. This goes some way to explaining why salt was considered ‘white gold’. In those days, it was essential to obtain even in small quantities.

The Salt Road in question in this Collection links Varzi, a municipality in the Oltrepò Pavese area, with Portofino, a jewel of the eastern Ligurian Riviera. It is a route of about 90 kilometres (56 mi) that can be covered in around four days. I’ve chosen Portofino as the end point, but you can also decide to finish in Sori or Camogli.

It is, to all intents and purposes, a journey of discovery; a mix of culture, history and gastronomy. In fact, the route touches the four Italian regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria, running mainly along the crest of gentle hills and offering vast, extremely scenic, landscapes.

The hike is possible from May to the end of October. Be aware that, in autumn, the high altitudes may already have a dusting of snow. Each stage ends at a refuge or in a village with several accommodation options or you can make the hike even more adventurous by spending the nights in a tent.

Remember to put a good supply of bars and dried fruit in your rucksack, as well as comfortable clothing. There aren’t many water points along the route, so I recommend that you always refill before setting off to avoid running out.

To get to Varzi you can take the train to Pavia or Voghera from Milan and then take a bus. On the return journey, however, you can reach Genoa station by taking a bus from Portofino to Santa Margherita Ligure, then a direct train. The Ligurian capital is connected to the major cities of northern Italy.

Happy hiking!