Walking Portovenere promotory - Anello del Monte Castellana

For those of you like me who like a good circular walk with stunning coastal views and the added bonus a retaurant/bar half way at Campiglia then this is a walk for you. When we did it with our dog Sam it took us about three and a half hours with stops for photos and a couple of rests for water or snacks.

The walk starts from a viewing point overlooking the coast at the end of the "Strada dei Marmi" under Monte Castellana. You arrive here from La Spezia following the road sign for Portovenere. Just before Portovenere at Le Grazie there is a turning to the right signposted Palestra di Roccia del Muzzerone and Monte Castellana. Turn right here going up the hill and eventually you arrive at a junction where the road divides keep going keeping right (straight on up hill) and after about 100m you arrive at the viewing point.

Portovenere Promotory

Park the car at the viewing point and take a moment to enjoy the view. Here there is a map on a board and some picnic tables.Take the coastal path by the tables up through some bushes. Ignore the gravel track to the right which you will come down later. 

The coastal path has some stunning views of the Portovenere promotory.

Coastal path

You will eventually reach a road where if you continue to the left along the road/paths you will eventually reach Campiglia here you can stop to take in the little church or have lunch if peckish or take a coffee at the bar.(or you can continue to the right see below after Campiglia)

Campiglia

Once you have finished looking around Campiglia you can retrace your steps to where you joined the road from the coast walk. Here at the layby to the left there is a metalled road signposted to a military zone and a footpath. Follow this road. It will after a while pass through some open gates with footpath markings on the barriers at the side of the road. Continuing along the road and eventually on the left is a foot path which goes off into the woods and uphill to a refuge overlooking the gulf of La Spezia. Here are some picnic tables if you have brought picnic lunch. The path continues behind the refuge going down hill passing some old stone quarries and communication masts.The path/track bears round to the right continuing with views to the left of the Gulf of La Spezia.

The track continues down through a wooded area eventually coming to a clearing with coastal views again. Here the track continues to the left . Here you can sit on the wall and take in the view. The walk continues down hill for another 20 minutes or so zig zagginng its way down until you get to the car park. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Walking on the wild side.

If you like walking like we do you will find plenty of walks right out the front door in the woods.



This morning taking advantage of the continuing sunny weather we decided to go for a circular walk (9.5km) through woods and Olive groves,to Casano  di Ortonovo and back. We started along the track at the back of the house where you could get distracted and start picking asparagus but determinedly we headed on and up into the hills.


To sounds of chain saws (always a little distracting) we enjoyed an uphill walk in the spring sunshine past primroses and violets.

Sam who came with us was always a little too far ahead so we ended up putting him on the lead as he tends to rush off looking for people to say hello to if he hears voices...sounds carry in the hills so he can end up disappearing. The walk eventually descended down into the valley and to a little stream where Sam enjoyed cooling off and quenching his thirst despite us carrying his own water bottle for him!

After a short while we arrived at Casano di Ortonovo a small hamlet with a church at the head of the valley.

Unfortunately the church was not open but at the end of the street we came to a path which headed up the hill through olive groves towards the house.

 Even though we were nearing journey's end we sat in the sun and had our sandwiches amongst the olive trees.Round trip about 2.5 to 3 hours.

Unexpected Pleasures - Guest Comments

We hear a lot these days about the importance of Guest reviews via the various internet booking portals. All the major booking portals have them ....Booking.com , Venere/Expedia and Trip Advisor...giving those who booked with them the chance for a comment on their return and those who are thinking of booking a means of evaluating their potential hosts.

All those who work in the tourist industry work  hard to ensure guests have a great time and we are always grateful for a great review and a little hurt if we receive a negative one.

Recently we received a couple of emails from Venere.com informing us we had received awards both for the Quality of Service Offered and Cleanliness and are amongst the top 5000 out of over 135000 properties.

We would like to thank both Venere.com their clients for the award and hope to be able to continue to offer a great vacation to those to choose to stay with us.


                                       

Perfect Pasta

Cooking is a favourite pastime. It started when I was in my early teens making puddings and deserts for my mother's dinner parties in the 70's from there I developed a broader interest which continued into later life and then moving to Italy more than 10 years ago brought a whole new dimension to it. It is difficult not to become interested in food in Italy where there are so many regional dishes and specialities and where food is a national obsession.

Anyway for some reason I had been putting off learning to make fresh pasta for a while now. Pasta sauces, no problem, ragu, pesto, carbonara ... I mentioned it to some friends and they suggested they come round with all the ingredients and with their pasta machine (manual) for lunch for a pasta making party!

 

What better way to learn. I made a ragu sauce before hand and a desert. Other friends brought wine, a torta di verdura and fresh tomato sauce.

All in all it was easier than I thought and now I have bought a machine too. What next?  Home made ravioli for Xmas!

Portofino to San Fruttuoso by boat and back by foot.

One of the things about Italy which continues to amaze me is the extraordinary beauty that exists in the pensiular and much of it close by to us at Casa Colleverde.

Today with a day free and good weather forecast we decided to visit Portofino and the Abbazia San Fruttuoso in the Portofino Natural Park which can only be got to by foot or boat.We wanted to arrive by boat and walk back to Portofino.

To avoid the expensive car parks in Portofino (if there is a space) we decided to drive to Santa Margherita Ligure, park there and get the ferry to Portofino. We got the 10.15 boat having left home at 8.35.  The cost was 10 euro a head one way to San Fruttuoso , Sam was free.

Santa Margherita Ligure

Arriving at Portofino by boat is lovely as the port is very picturesque.We remained on the boat and continued on to San Fruttuoso.


 The coast line is beautiful and the water a deep blue green colour which makes you want to dive in to cool off.

Portofino harbour

The bay where the Abbey is situated is lovely. You could go there for lunch ( there are 2/3 bar restuarants) and then get a later boat back if you wanted just to have a relaxing lunch in a beautiful setting.We had packed a picnic so after a brief look around started our walk

San Fruttuoso

Like lots of walks along the coast in Liguria and the 5 Terre you have to start with a bit of a climb up the hill (here through the woods in the shade which was just as well as it was warm) this got us warmed up and a little out of breath but with regular photo opportunities giving an excuse to stop and get our breath we did it and once at the top the walk along the cliffs was relatively easy.

Path above San Fruttuoso

Fantastic views from the path on the way and after about an hour and a half we arrived at our destination.

Portofino

                                                                      Che spectacolo!

Che Bellezza la Natura - Walking the Cinque Terre

Today we took advantage of the forecast good weather to do another walk in the Cinque Terre. This time we chose the path from Manarola to Corniglia via Volastra....Sam our Norfolk terrier couldnt wait to be off.

Manarola from the path

To avoid the crowds and the heat of the day(inspite of the fresh breeze) we left the house at 7.30 and drove to La Spezia train station and parked in the new underground carpark. We got the 8.30 train and got off in Manarola. It was still quite chilly when we set out and we were dressed in walking shoes, shorts,t shirt, sweat shirts and a scarf each.. We also had water proof tops( in case of rain very English) and water in our rucksack.

We headed up the hill towards the church in Manarola  and then took the Panoramic path toward Volastra and Corniglia After a steep initial climb which had us panting (not that fit) we were down to our t - shirts and perspiring. The fantastic views and wild flowers gave us many reasons to stop and take pictures ...just as well.

Sam who had stormed off in front soon began to slow down as well.

The path is beautiful rewarding you with stunning views of the terraces and vines and wild flowers not to forget the cliffs plunging down to the sea. Some concentration is needed when walking due to the nature of the path but I cannot reccommend it enough.

 I would also do the route we did Manarola toCorniglia rather than the other way round as the climb up is longer from Corniglia.

The walk took us a little over 2 hours .... but allow between 2 and 3 depending on your pace.

Corniglia our destination

                                                                                                                                                                                   
 Finally taking a pause during our walk the intrepid explorers!

Carmelo

 

Simon and Sam

The Cinque Terre or 5 Lands

The Cinque Terre are situated in the province of La Spezia, Liguria, the area is a Unesco world heritage site and not to be missed if visiting Liguria.

The Five Lands consisting  of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso apart from being naurally beautiful are the product of centuries of cultivation by the local population who carved a unique way of life in the small fishing villages and vertiginous olive groves and vinyards which cling to the cliffs.

Riomaggiore

Today the paths along the cliffs are used by hikers and tourists visiting the area. You need to consult one of the various websites before coming to see which of the paths are open as they tend to suffer in the winter months from land slips.

The area can arrived at either by train boat or car.

If not staying in the Cinque Terre itself daytrips are easy.  The trains depart from La Spezia Central station and the ferries from the port. If a calm sunny day it is nice to go by boat and visit Portovenere on the way. This way you can see the little ports from the sea and you can get a ticket which allows you to get on and off and then maybe return by train as they are more frequent.

The other day we visited by car driving to Monterosso (about and hour from Casa Colleverde) and parked in the harbour carpark.We then walked to Vernazza - a relatively easy 2 hour walk (not for those who suffer from vertigo) and a little steep at times, but beauttiful. A bottle of water is advisable.You arrive at your destination and are rewarded with a picture postcard view of Vernazza.

Vernazza

We lunched in the port at the Taverna del Captinodelicious fresh seafood pasta and a local Vermentino from the region- Lunae.

We then got the train back to Monterosso.

Later in the month May18th and 19th is the fesitval of lemons at Monterosso

Monterosso

When walking the paths please be considerate of the environment and other walkers and dont leave your rubbish.

A good source of information is www.parconazionale5terre.it

The Lunigiana - an undiscovered Tuscany.

The Lunigiana is an historic territory which falls within both Liguria(province of La Spezia) and Tuscany (Massa Cararra).

Image courtesy of Terre di Lunigiana

Casa Colleverde is in the province of La Spezia not far from the ancient Roman City of Luni in the Val di Magra from which the Lunigiana takes its name.The historical confines of the Lunigiana derive from the Roman City Luni and the medieval diocese of the Bishops of Luni. The major part of the Lunigiana can be found in Tuscany.

The amphitheatre at Luni

The Lunigiana was a territory fought over by the Genovese,Milanese and Florentines as it  was a strategic route from Tuscany to the north and hence it is an area with many hill top towns and castles.

The Lunigiana for me is an area little explored by the majority of tourists visiting Italy and Tuscany who are drawn to the busier and more well known areas of Lucca ,Chianti around Siena and the Val d'orcia.. The Lunigiana is a little more rugged but like other areas in Tuscany has its traditions and its own authentic country cuisine.

Those who would like to know more about the area the following are good sources .

Ciao Lunigiana - www.ciaolunigiana.com
Terre di Lunigiana - www.terredilunigiana.com 

Fillateria picture courtesy of Terre di Lunigiana

Porto Venere a jewel in the Spezzino

Porto Venere is a gem of a little town just outside the Cinque Terre and dates from Roman times. 

 You can explore the 1000 year old carruggi (alleyways), the commanding Castle Doria, and the boardwalk in front of the colourful facades in the port.

On a summers day you can take a swim in Byron’s Bay or from the rocks below San Pietro and don’t miss the views from the porch of San Pietro or the castle ( a small charge to enter but worth it)

 San Pietro the church on the point dates from the 13th century while the Castle dates from 1161.

 All this and dont forget you can eat at one of the of the port side restuarants. All makes for a truly magical day at any time of year.

Porto Venere can also be used to take a boat trip to the Cinque Terre.

You can get to Porto Venere by car or by bus or boat from La Spezia.  

Happy New Year - Relax and do nothing!

This post is the first in a new series of posts where I will give examples of things to do and places to see in the vicinity of Casa Colleverde.

Friends who have stayed with us have said that contemplating the view from the house gives them a sense of place and has a calming effect on them with the effect that they wish to do nothing but sit and read or chat and never leave the house.

Now this is fine by us I too never tire of the view and can sit with or without a glass of wine(although more often with I have to say)and contemplate the view particularly on a warm evenng . With the lights below the house in the valley gradually coming on the view seems like something from the Hollywood hills over Los Angeles.

On a clear day you can see the the various islands in the Mar Tirreno an on a very clear day Corsica.

View from the pool at night

Breakfast Balcony view towards Livorno

Often friends who feeling like doing some exercise
but not leaving the hill take our Norfolk Terrier Sam for a walk. He is always a willing participant in this game and is quite happy to play every day!
With or without Sam there are lots of hiking trails in the woods behind the house and these can be hiked even in summer as under the trees it is less hot.

We also have a couple of moutain bikes for those who are more active. There are trails that can be cycled directly from the house but beware we are on a hill and if you start to go down evetually you will have to return up again and believe you me its hard work, I know I have done it!



For those who have felt like doing nothing but sit by the pool Sam is quite happy to keep you company there as well. He doesnt like getting wet but will sit under your chair to watch or keep out of the sun.



In the evening after an active day by the pool we can put the world to rights over a glass of wine and a relaxing BBQ.

Wilting Shoots in the garden at Casa Colleverde... Ebay to the rescue.

Unfortuantely no more lavender.

This year we lost a lot of plants in the garden. Three months of hot dry weather and no rain took their toll. The 'mediterranean garden' was looking more like a desert and I have been feeling a little brown fingered - the 'pollice verde' are not working.

In the spring we had started to fill in the gaps in the garden from the initial planting in 2011 and had planted some more lavender, in May the garden was looking great but then with the start of the hot dry weather we were hit with a root fungus which proceeded to kill off most of the 40 new lavender plants together with those we had planted last year. We then had a foliar/stem fungus which killed the 70 Cornus planted in the fito depurazione system, the roses were losing their leaves inspite of regular dousing with an anti  fungal and then the Magnolia died and one of the Cyprus trees is looking unwell. Could things get any worse... well to top it all the roses which were doing well were then attacked by a plague of caterpillars who proceeded to eat the remaining leaves. 

Things have come back a bit since the autumn rains but we are having to do a serious rethink on how to proceed in the garden.

I think I have to be patient. You cannot hurry in gardening, instant gardens do not always work. This is all very well but the garden at least needs to be presentable for guests.                                                     

Getting new soil in is not an option living on top of the hill at the end of a track. We can steadily        improve what we have and are composting but it will take time. Well lets take stock - what did survive?                                                                                   We did plant some Genista to help retain a bank which even with litttle or no watering or rain all survived and have grown well but they are ok in the wilder part of the garden but not particulary pretty. Other plants which sems to like our ex bulding plot are Gazania which have self seeded from last year and this year I have taken the seed to seed elsewhere.A white valerian has been successful and has also self seeded but I will have to be careful with this as it can become a bit of a thug. Having said that I am trying to get the red one going as well via seed as they do not like being transplanted and we will see what happens the seedling can easily be removed.The Acanthus mollis I transplanted from my old garden (another plant a bit fussy about moving) is still sulking but looks like it will be ok next year and then I can leave it to self seed. Rosemary seems to like the conditions as does thyme.   

The Agave and the Fico d'india seem happy and are both easy to tranplant or take cuttings if you are careful as they are a bit spikey! So maybe things are not so bad.

One of my favourite plants is Euphorbia Characias ( a woody  perrenial) which does well in UK gardens and I used it often when planting gardens there. But here it is impossible to find even though it is native to Liguria and the Cinque Terre! 

So Ebay has come to my rescue - I have been buying seeds a much cheeper way to experiment and hopefully these will establish themselves. so far I have planted Eurphorbia Characias (indigenous) and a Euphorbia Melifera (honey scented) and Erigeron.All are no more than 1 euro a packet including postage even if only one seed comes up it is well worth it.

I have also been looking to see what grows wild around the house and I am going to plant both wild versions of these plants and the cultivated varieties.A white cistus grows in the woods around the house in little soil and no water so that seems a good candidate the pink ones we had planted have survived. The wild herbs seem to be everywhere thyme, oregano, mentha and myrtle is common.

Helychrysum grows in the olive gove as well and I have transplanted a couple of plants which have taken so those also seem a good candidate. I am also taking cuttings although this maybe should wait to spring as they will more likely take better.

 Erigeron grows in the wall in all the old hilltop towns around me self seeds everywhere but is impossible to transplant. Once it gets going I am sure I will have it everwhere.

So slowy slowy we will get there and I am now looking forward to spring next year.

.


ps I hope the sources of photos above once found at a later date

Olio Nuovo!

Well thank goodness we picked our olives last week. Since last Saturday the weather has been dreadful and windy and if we had waited a little longer we probably wouldnt have had any left to pick.

At Casa Colleverde we have an old olive grove which over the last two years we have given a good prune in the hope that we would get an improved crop.The trees had been left to their own devices for far too long with the result that though we have had few olives and have very tall trees we do have lots of wild flowers!

Last autumn we gave the trees a good prune and this year we gave them some organic fertiliser after which things looked good in May with lots of flowers and of these a lot seemed to set. But you shouldnt count your olives too early.

In June we had a week of very windy weather and then a hot dry summer - 3 months without rain.Come the end of October I had to put my glasses on to find the olives. We had about 7 trees with a good number on and the other 180 trees with hardly any. Oh well.

Here in our part of Liguria nets are tied under the trees to collect olives as they fall before picking starts in earnest. If only we could afford this luxury and investment in nets!

The weather was forecast good last week until Friday so we set to and picked them all - about six hours work for the two of us and Sam who watched. At the end we had 36kg of Olives and got 5 litres of green liquid gold extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. Yummy!

Eating on the Magra

For  a while we had been wanting to try a new retaurant Moor on the banks of the river Magra. We decided to go one weekend with some guests who were staying with us.( Booking is advisable at weekends).

The setting amongst the boats on the banks of the river,  hence the name, is magical, both at night with the lights reflecting on the water and at lunch time on a sunny day when the large glass windows are folded back and you can sit on the terrace and take in the view.

Unlike a lot of Italian retaurants the restaurant is modern and 'designed' with a distinctly nautical feel.

The food is seafood and fish with some unusual combinations but on the night we were there was also duck.The food was good and the fish fresh - Tuna which was delicious

 A little more expensive than the average restuarant in the area but well worth it if you are looking for something a little different from the norm in a great location.

We had a grat time and would recommend it.

Rainy days and Sundays

After 3 months of little or no rain and with Lucifero visiting us for a while from Africa(an anti cyclone) whose heat managed to make the garden look like a desert, we have now had a little rain, but still not enough to save some of the plants.

Today being Sunday and with our visitors out exploring the Cinque Terre we went to Forte di Marmi to get off the not so green colle verde.

It had been reported to us that there had been hunky surfers spotted here last week when it was sunny, but I think the threat of rain, Sunday lunch , the cooler temperatures or the suprising number of jelly fish in the water had put them off.

Also inspite of the rumours it was not heaving with Russians but mainly Italians.

We did some window shopping - advisable here given the price of things in the windows and then finished our tour with an ice cream to remind us that summer has not quite finished yet! 

Benvenuti da Sam

A big part of our lives and of anyone who visits us is Sam our Norfolk terrier.

As soon as the door bell sounds he is the first out the door to greet anyone with a welcome noise half between a rolling growl and a howl.(difficult to describe).

He keeps visitors company under their sun beds in summer (its cooler) and in the morning is the first to greet everyone for breakfast.

When the time comes to say good bye he is there as well.

Lazy Days (2) The Olive Grove

Apart from welcoming friends and anyone else fleeing from a wet and grey summer in the UK we have been keeing busy trying to bring some order to the Olive grove.

With an Olive grove of 180 odd trees there is always something to do especially in May when everything is growing before your eyes at a rate of knots and far too fast to keep on top of.

Now after a month of no rain things are slowly coming to a standstill. We are slowly cutting all the grass which means some early starts to work in the cool of the day before it gets too hot and some sore muscles too afterwards.

Even though the Olives need a lot of work (and have not porduced much oil to date) the grove itself however is a source of much pleasure . It is an oasis of wild flowers the variety and colours the like of which I have never seen before.

Friends are welcome if they can find us.

It is always nice having friends to stay and we have some good ones. A lot of my english friends want to escape the madness of London and the Olympics - they are very welcome. We welcome everyone as good friends at Casa Colleverde.

We just had Sean and Kira to stay from London, the weather was not brilliant but we enjoyed having them and we had a nice lunch on the balcony on their last day with our friends Nicole and Petra from Dusseldorf. Nicole was in charge of table decoration.

That reminds me..

I must change our directions on our web page and the pointer on google maps to ensure future guests do not get lost getting here like everyone else to date including UPS. Once guests arrive they dont want to leave - is this because they dont want to get lost again or maybe they just like it here...

The 'Biga' the better

Well not one for sitting around by the pool all day I have been practiing my bread baking skills for when we are entertaining guests. Stone ground flour, wheat germ, natural yeast and a Biga.

 The Biga the better! The better your bread is, that is. It gives Forza to your bread so no knead for Berlusconi.

The Biga is starter dough which is left to rise naturally and develope slowly to give it a good strong flavour and a bit of bounce. I am now hooked.

I blame Angie and James for buying me the book. Thanks guys.

Lazy Days enforced idleness.

I have been absent from blogging for a while not because I havent had time but probably because I was a little despondent that it was taking us so long to officially open after all the work we have done.

The house has been finished for six months, we survived the winter with some minor damage although the builders are back to rectify a few things.The declaration of agibilita (a declaration that the house is habitable)we will collect at the beggining of june,finally. Strange how you can live in the house with out it but if you want to operate as a B&B you need it.

Our major bureacratic problem has been that we run off a well and to make sure we can drink the water without problem and having to transport large numbers of bottles from supermarkets etc we have a treatment plant in the garage similar to the local water company although a lot smaller. This is maintained by Culligan who come quarterly to ensure everything is ok. Unfortuntely as we are not on the communal water supply Asl had to confirm our water is drinkable. As we all know being on the communal water supply in Italy doesnt necessarily mean the water is drinkable. Anyway for Asl to certify it they needed to take samples from the well during the year( a whole year!) to tell me that I need to treat the water which I am already treating it but that is not good enough and they wouldnt even allow me to use bottled water to drink for guests. It took me 6 months to get them started on the analysis at great cost in professionl fees and then they charge euro 2700 fee up front. They started at the end of February(winter analysis) They needed to do one in spring which I had to chase them to do but they never answer the phone.They then do 5 over summer when there is less water around and one in winter. They then tell me I need to treat he water which I aready do as I installed a comprehensive system to be on the safe side. But it wasnt/isnt that easy. They still need to decide how much clean water I can keep in the tanks so it doesnt go off......and so it goes on .another bit of paper and another department and at the end of the next century i will have collected all the ofifical stamps.......and then I can frame them.
.
This is when Italian bureacracy can start wearing you down and no wonder the economy hasnt grown for years and you wonder if was all worthwhile in the end.

Hmmmm who knows. Its very grey today and maybe thats influencing my mood.If the sun comes out if could all seem much better....

Cucina Povera Sarzanese

Every region in Italy seems to have their own versions of the traditional 'contadino' recipes;  in the Lunigiana there seems to be several typical recipes - Farinata, Panigazzi and Testaroli. To me as a 'stranieri' they seem to be almost interchangeable as the ingredients are all very similar and simple and they all seem to have been adapted in various manners to eat with sauces, salumi and cheeses.

Farinata - made with water, farina di ceci  extra vergin olive oil and salt seems to need a long time to sit before cooking  something about the flour needing to expand or gluten ? It seems with some batters you do and some you dont and I am sure some experienced cooks out there can tell me why? Cooked in a wood oven in a flat terracotta dish or dish of copper with a little oil I had this for the first time at a pizzeria a taglio near Ameglia(Bocca di Magra) and it was delicious as were the various pizzas they produced there too.

Testaroli on the other hand made from flour water and salt are a little like crepes and can be eaten with pesto, ragu or with oil and cheese.I have made these with farina integrale and though nice were a little heavy better with ordinary flour.I think they would be delicious also with Nutella

Pannigazzi are a bit like a piadina ( from Emilia-Romagna) and the batter here is white flour, water a little salt and a little oil with a little batter being put in a hot frying pan and moved around to create a thin 'pancake'.  These are generally eaten warm with cheeses or salumi.

Testaroli al pesto Genovese

Simple ingredients for simple pleasures.

Detailed recipes(in italian) can be found on the website of the Comune di Sarzana.