I had a little sleep in this morning cause I skipped out on the 'Traditions of the Lunagiana' lecture. I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand, which is why I take so many photos.
So at 10 AM, we took a coach to a town about an hour away, by the name of Pontremoli. A river flows through the lovely old town.
The streets are narrow and the buildings are very old with some wonderful doors and windows.
We visited Palazzo Dosi, built during the mid 1750's. The large salon is painted with mythological frescoes.
A fresco is a painting done on fresh wet plaster with pigments dissolved in water. When the plaster dries, the painting is bonded to the wall.
The enormous fresco on the ceiling reminded me of the Sistine Chapel. The art was so realistic.
It was hard to believe what looked like curves was just painted to give that illusion.
Lunch was a many course variety in the upstairs part of an old house. The food was traditional Liguirian and it was wonderful - crepes, pesto, cheeses, cold cuts, fritters, and a delicious pastry dessert served with ice cream.
We headed back on board and drove back south, then up and up and up a winding road. It was so narrow the bus driver honked her horn before every corner to warn oncoming traffic. There were many hairpin turns and it seemed our driver was leaning on the horn 30 - 40 % of the time. Even with that we had a near miss, and she let loose with some very excitable yelling, which the other driver couldn't hear of course!
Our destination was the medieval town of Fosdinovo, and a visit to the feudal castle of the Malaspina family.
Built in the 12th century, it still belongs to the same family, and parts of it can be rented out.
The huge courtyards and rooms were fascinating.
The family crest was incorporated into many places throughout the castle, and I found a tiny little dish with their symbol on it.
The views from the top of the castle were magnificent, despite the clouds rolling in from one direction.
Our tour was over all too soon and we headed back down the mountain in time for our appointment at the Colle di Luna winery.
We had a brief tour of their wine museum then were ushered into a dining room type of hall for some wine tasting.
We were supposed to be served a 'light supper' with the wine, but instead, got course after course yet again - breads, cheeses, salamis, quiches, and fruit.
We got to taste 2 white wines, a red, and an orange liquor.
It was full day with a great deal of walking and climbing. I expect to sleep well tonight!
The day started out overcast and cool, warming up by noon, and heating up by 2 pm.
The morning was spent at a talk on the food of the region. It is quite unique and of course, is dependent on the resources of the region. Lots of seafood in coastal areas, vegetable dishes in other areas, a special type of mushroom, olive oils, pasta, and chestnut dishes including flour made from chestnuts.
I grabbed 40 winks back in the room after our guide took a break from her talk, and felt a bit better for it. Lunch was on our own and my friends and I heading to a Moroccan place I had seen the day before - chicken schwarma with a diet Coke - yum!
At 2 PM we met and headed out to catch a ferry boat. It was about a 25 minute ride over to Porto Venere. We travelled with a new guide from this area and she led the tour once we boarded. This village, together with the 5 Cinque Terre villages are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
We visited the Doria Castle and Church of St. Peter. The gothic church of St. Peter, was consecrated in 1198, and was built over a pre-existing 5th century Palaeo-Christian church. The new part, from the 13th century, is marked by white and black stripes on the outside.
We also saw Byron's Grotto, from which the English poet Byron swam across the gulf of La Spezia to San Terenzo to visit Shelley in Lerici, in 1822. That's a pretty long swim! Our guide was knowledgeable and the views were wonderful, as was the architecture and the stone work.
The houses in Portovenere are multi-coloured, tall, narrow buildings. They are like stacked apartments and many individuals seem to live in the adjoined buildings.
On the ground floor, businesses such as restaurants and shops are the tenants. It seemed a shame to have these commercial establishments take over but I guess tourism is a big part of their economy.
We were given some time on our own after our tour and I wasted no time ordering a gelato - a strawberry and chocolate hazelnut combo!
Then I explored the main shopping street which was beautiful and photogenic as well. I found a lovely bracelet for myself and some olive oil and pasta for friends back home.
It was time to leave all too soon and we caught the ferry back at 6 PM.
Supper was at the same restaurant as our first night here. Enroute I took some wonderful sunset photos of the harbour and the colourful buildings of Lerici.
Supper was a 4 course meal - appetizers, spaghetti, chicken and potatoes, and tiramisu for dessert.
We walked a lot today, but probably not enough to burn the equal amount of calories we are consuming.....sigh!
