Visit Piana Battolla, Tourism and travel tips

Riomaggiore: a flap of paradise

Liguria, Riomaggiore - crystal clear water

Italy is such a varied and beautiful country that it is difficult to make a list of the most beautiful places to visit. Certainly, however, at the top of the list would be Cinque Terre located in Liguria and, among the five countries that form them, Riomaggiore. The village, located in a narrow valley, owes its name to the stream that crosses it, Rivus Maior. The steep walls of the valley have attached small houses painted in typical Ligurian colors.Developed in height one above the other, and linked to each other in terraces, they resemble from afar to the houses of boxes.

Before entering the city, leave the car along the coast and take the staircase, which leads to Riomaggiore. You can also get there by train, or rather, by sea, taking the shuttle from the Cinque Terre park or from Monterosso or Porto Venere. After arrival, you just have to dive among the steep and covered with pebbles, narrow alleys of the village. You will find without problems a characteristic white-plastered building of the Oratory of the Disciplinati of the 16th century, within which a triptych awaits you with a tempera triptych with a Madonna and Child among Saints from the 15th century and the wooden statue of Our Lady of the Chains.

On the opposite side you can see the ruins of the 13th century castle. The church of San Giovanni Battista is hidden among the alleys, erected in the upper part of the village in 1340, with the beautiful rose window on the neo-Gothic façade. If you feel tired of history and architecture, take your steps towards the picturesque marina where the pebble beach and the sea awaits you, fresh and clear. This refreshment will serve you for later, when you decide to continue your visit around here, for example following the Way of Love, one of the most evocative itineraries with breathtaking landscapes.

scritto da wUmrLVWz wUmrLVWz - ultima modifica il 02/09/2021

Excursion to Monte Zuccone from the Passo di Cento Croci

Easy and profitable excursion, short and without difficulty, which reaches the panoramic summit of Monte Zuccone, on the watershed ridge with Emilia Romagna.
The trip takes us to discover the upper Val di Vara, with its superb woods of chestnut trees, beech and pine trees, alternating with restful pastures.
In this regard, we cannot fail to remember that Varese Ligure can boast of a significant and we think enviable record: it was the first country in Europe to obtain the ISO environmental certification. 14001. In practice, a Municipality that has been able to promote and develop innovative and absolutely cutting-edge policies of the territory and environment.
The certification obtained recognizes the absence of carbon oxide in the air, as well as noise and electromagnetic pollution, guarantees the quality of urban services (waste management, water treatment, business services, transport, landscape protection), underlines the goodness of exploitation of livestock and agricultural crops.
We are therefore in a real “valley of nature and organic”, with dozens and dozens of high quality farms, which produce fruit, cheeses and meats with very high quality “organic” quality levels, with absolute respect for nature and its rhythms. Therefore, the paradise of every lover of nature and good food.
From Varese Ligure, in the upper Val di Vara, you can reach the Passo di Cento Croci, at 1055 meters above sea level, where you leave the car.
We then walk west and then northwest, along a dirt road that crosses the southern slopes of Monte Foppo, until you reach a casing, at 1200 meters above sea level.
Leave the road to follow, on the right, a marked path that climbs along the ridge of the mountain.
Later you enter again on the road, which must be followed faithfully, until you reach the wide and rounded summit of Monte Zuccone, where there is a beautiful chapel dedicated to the Madonna: 1423 meters, 1.15 hours from the Passo di Cento Croci.
The return takes place along the same path as the climb and takes 45 minutes.

Travel time: 2 hours
Starting altitude: m. 1055
Altitude gain: m. 368
< Strong>difficulty: T - Tourist
Recommended period: March - November
Region: Liguria
Province: La Spezia
Valle/area: Val di Vara

scritto da wUmrLVWz wUmrLVWz - ultima modifica il 17/04/2020

Excursion to Monte Gottero from Passo della Cappelletta

Easy and profitable excursion, almost entirely on the ridge, which reaches the summit of Monte Gottero, the highest mountain in eastern Liguria, from which you can enjoy a spectacular view.
Passing the limit of beech trees (about 1500 meters), you walk among relaxing pastures, in a very interesting environment also from a wildlife perspective: it is possible in fact to observe numerous birds of prey, daytime and nocturns, swifts and some red partridge. In the woods, it is also easy to meet the tracks left by the wild boar and badger.

A hint now in Varese Ligure, with its characteristic Borgo Rotondo, so called for its circular structure. An ellipse of small and thin houses, characterized by a low porch, describes a round square still occupied by a core of taller houses.
The whole structure dates back to the fourteenth century, when Varese was already a nerve center for commerce and communication routes, conceived by the Fieschi for military and merchant purposes. On the north side are the Gate and the Castle, dominated by the high circular tower. Not far away, on the Gresino stream, stands a medieval bridge on the back of a donkey. The austere tower is faced by the seventeenth-century church of Saints Teresa and Philip, with its two twin bell towers. Finally, worth noting is the bell tower in the hamlet Buto, which preserves intact ancient sandstone bas-reliefs from the VII-8th century.

From Varese Ligure, in the upper Val di Vara, follow the road to the Passo di Cento Croci. Just before the pass, take a small road on the right, with signs for “Cappelletta”, until you reach the homonymous pass, where there is precisely a chapel (altitude 1085 meters).
After leaving the car, we walk south, always near the ridge of the mountain. The description of the itinerary, in practice, is all here: to stay more or less faithfully on the ridge, with some ups and downs, until you reach the highest point of the ridge, namely the summit of the Monte Gottero: altitude 1639 meters, 2 hours from the Passo della Cappelletta.
The return takes place along the same path as the climb and takes 1.15 hours.

Travel time: 3.15 hours
Starting altitude: 1085 m.
Elevation gain: 700 m approx.
Difficulty: E - Hiking
Recommended period: March - November
Region: Liguria
< strong>Province: La Spezia
Valle/Zone: Val di Vara

scritto da wUmrLVWz wUmrLVWz - ultima modifica il 29/11/2019

Visit Piana Battolla - Tourism and travel tips for your vacation or weekend.

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Riomaggiore (13,7Km)Riomaggiore: a flap of paradise

Luni (19,4Km)A place full of history

Varese Ligure (29Km)Excursion to Monte Zuccone from the Passo di Cento Croci

Varese Ligure (29Km)Excursion to Monte Gottero from Passo della Cappelletta

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