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Towards the Coast
Cuneo
–
Savona –
Genoa –
The Riviera
–
La Spezia –
Parma
-
Piacenza
This excursion hinges around
the internationally famous Ligurian Riviera and
takes us through a variety of different landscapes
from Piedmont to Emilia, passing through
Genoa, the
'Cinque
Terre',
Parma,
Piacenza
and along the River
Po.
Travelling southwards from Turin the road takes us
through towns which are steeped in history: the
feudal capital Carignano,
Carmagnola
with its ancient buildings in the heart of the
Langhe, a hilly region abounding in ancient villages
and castles, and famous for its cuisine; Racconigi
with its beautiful Royal Palace, Saluzzo with its
Gothic cathedral and fine example of a Renaissance
stately home,
Casa Cavassa;
then there is
Manta,
with its castle whose great hall is frescoed with
some of the treasures of Piedmont art, and contains
a fine collection of 'international' Gothic
paintings. At
Cuneo,
TOP founded
in the Middle
Ages,
is the Gothic Church of S. Francesco; at Mondovi the
delightful mediaeval
Carassone hamlet with its
Cittadella,
and 14th and 15th c. courtyards and churches. As we
drive down the Tanaro Valley, through Ceva, Garessio
and the luxuriant
Col di
Nava pass, we will catch our first glimpse of the
sea, and soon we will be on the Ligurian Riviera at
Imperia.
From here let's make an
excursion to the renowned resorts of
Bordighera,
Ospedaletti and San
Remo,
which need no introduction. Going back, our road now
runs by olive-covered hillsides through
Diano
Marina,
Cervo, Andora,
Laigueglia, followed by the
elegant resort of Alassio. Then come Albenga, with
its interesting Naval
Museum, Loano, Borgio, Finale
Ligure, Noli,
Spotorno and finally
Savona.
TOP This
industrial town has much to interest the art-lover:
a Renaissance cathedral, its own 'Sistine Chapel',
Palazzo
della Rovere
attributed to Sangallo, the Picture Gallery
(Pinacoteca
Civica),
and the 12th tower of Leon Pancaldo.
Passing through one of Italy's
most ancient and famous ceramics manufacturing
towns, Albisola, and the seaside
resorts of Varazze,
Voltri and Pegli on the Western Ligurian Riviera, we
reach
Genoa
TOP —
the 'Queen' of
Liguria,
built in a semicircular pattern overlooking the sea
—
the maritime city where the narrow winding streets
lead up to some of the most beautiful stately homes.
Let us visit the harbour first of all, with the
Banco
di San
Giorgio building, and the colorful Piazza
Caricamento
surrounded by the ancient porticoes of
Sottoripa
under which the typical narrow alleyways (the "carrugi')
criss-cross in the light of Genoa's lighthouse
—
the
'Lanterna'.
Leaving Piazza Principe, we come into Via
Balbi,
with its Palazzo
Reale, the
University, the Palazzo Durazzo
Pallavicini,
Palazzo
Balbi
Senarega, all of which have valuable private
painting collections. Via Garibaldi is yet another
street lined with majestic historic buildings,
beginning with Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Rosso,
which house the city's main art collections. The
Palazzo Bianco Art Gallery mostly contains paintings
by Genoese artists (Brea, Sacchi, Cambiaso, Strozzi,
Magnasco, etc.). Other artists include Lippi,
Pontormo, Veronese, David, Rubens, Van Dyck,
Zurbaran, Murillo. In the Palazzo Rosso Gallery are
works by Pisanello, Veronese, Titian, Tintoretto,
Caravaggio, Guerrino, Reni, Cambiaso, De Ferrari,
Van Dyck, Durer, Ribera, as well as collections of
medals, crib statues and ceramics. After Piazza
Corvetto
and Via Roma, we reach the heart of the city: Piazza
De
Ferrari. Walk up the narrow street of
San Matteo
to the Church of S.
Matteo
surrounded by the mediaeval
houses of the Doria family, and then down towards
the Ducal Palace where the former Doges of Genoa
used to live, and the Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral of
S. Lorenzo with its black und white marble-clad
facade. The 15th c. chapel of St
John the Baptist and the Treasure
Museum
(Museo
del Tesoro) are
well worth a visit. From Piazza S
. Lorenzo we reach
Piazza
degli Embriaci
with the 12th c.
Embriaci
Tower,
and a group of interesting churches: S. Maria del
Castello, S. Agostino, S. Donato,
and S. Maria
Assunta di
Carignano. Via Fieschi takes us down to Porta
Soprana
—
Christopher Columbus's tall
Gothic battlemented home. Just behind it stands the
ancient Church
of
S.
Stefano
and the 16th c. Church
of S.
Annunziata di Portoria
(otherwise known as S. Caterina's). If we still have
time, we can visit the National Gallery in the
16th-17th c. Palazzo
Spinola,
a typical Genoese stately home, and the Chiossone
Museum (over
15,000
items of oriental art). Above and below Genoa we can
stroll at leisure, visiting outstanding villas, and
tasting the local delights in restaurants between
the Albaro Lido and the picturesque port of
Boccadasse.
We shall leave Genoa by the road to
Nervi (a
famous health resort with
splendid parks, and the setting for the
International Ballet festival every summer); after
Recco we come to Camogli, with its ancient harbour.
We recommend a visit to
San Fruttuoso,
an isolated fishing village tucked away inside a
sheltered cove (Benedictine Abbey, with its ancient
cloisters and the Doria family tomb,
1275-1305).
We come to Portofino, an
elegant town lying in a setting of rare beauty, and
to the famous Gulf of Tigullio, with
Santa
Margherita Ligure
and
Rapallo —
the pearls of
the
Riviera.
TOP Then
come the coastal resorts of
Zoagli, Chiavari
and
Lavagna,
and finally the breathtaking
bay of
Sestri Levante.
The roads run through
enchanting landscapes, past castles, hamlets and
small towns such as Levanto and Monterosso, the gem
of the
'Cinque
Terre'
region in one of the famous beauty-spots on the
coastline, famed for its climate and prized white
wines. Further down the coast is the Gulf of
La
Spezia,
TOP another
major port. Visit the cathedral and the
Archaeological Museum with its prehistoric, Etruscan
and Graeco-Roman exhibits, unearthed in the ruins of
the ancient town of Luni. At the far end of the
Gulf— known locally as the "Poets' Gulf
—
with its cliffs and sandy beaches, stand Portovenere
with its tall Genoese-style fortified houses, and
Leriri with its superb castle.
After
La Spezia,
let us head for
Parma,
TOP
the capital city of an independent State from
1545
to
1860,
first ruled by the
Farnese
family, then by Napoleon's wife, Marie Louise, has
one of Italy's most outstanding examples of Italian
Romanesque: the Baptistery and Cathedral built by
Antelami.
The cathedral dome is richly painted with frescoes
by
Correggio.
Other delights include the churches of S. Giovanni
Evangelista, S.
Antonio Abate, Madonna
della Steccata
(frescoes by Parmigianino), the unfinished Palazzo
della Pilotta (1583-1622)
which houses the National Museum of Antiquities, the
National Gallery, the
Farnese
Theatre (one of the first permanent theatres in
Europe with a mobile stage, built in
1618),
the
Biblioteca Palatina
library with over half a million books, as well as
the Bodoni National Printing Museum.
A short
distance away is the 'Camera del
Correggio',
frescoed by the artist in,
1519,
and the neo-classical
Teatro Regio.
After Parma, we will drive towards
Fidenza
(Romanesque-Gothic cathedral),
and on the way we can make three interesting
detours: to the 15th-16th c.
Rocca di
Fontanellato castle, containing magnificent frescoes
by Parmigianino, to the luxurious 16th-18th
Rocca di
Soragna castle, and to Busseto
—
an absolute 'must' for all lovers of Verdi (visit
his birthplace at
Roncole,
Villa
Sant'Agata,
Villa
Pallavicino, Teatro Verdi).
And so to
Piacenza,
TOP with
its Romanesque and Gothic Basilica of S.
Savino,
the 15th c. Palazzo
dei Tribunali,
the Romanesque cathedral the octagonal bell-tower of
the Church of S.
Antonino,
the Town Hall (Palazzo del
Comune or 'il Gotico')
which houses the
Galleria Alberoni.
If you wish to return to Turin, continue along the
picturesque Lomellina road, via Abbiategrasso, the
mediaeval Morimondo
Abbey,
Vigevano (fine
Ducal Palace, cathedral, Bramante's Castle), and
Mortara.We now leave Lombardy and enter
Monferrato,
the capital of which is the agricultural and
industrial town of
Casale,
which used to be the capital city of the Duchy of
Monferrato (1435-1708),
with its fine churches and palaces Nearby is the
monumental Shrine of
Crea.
It is only a short drive down the hill through
Alessandria,
Valenza Po
(famous for its goldsmiths) and
Asti,
and we are back in Turin.
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