COPERTINA LOANESE ING 5-06-2006 15:48 Pagina 1 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Il Loanese & Il Pietrese Information and Tourist Reception Offices - I.A.T. Borghetto Santo Spirito (17052) Piazza Libertà, 1 tel. e fax 0182 950 784 Borghetto Santo Spirito Azienda di e-mail: [email protected] Borgio Verezzi Promozione Borgio Verezzi (17022) seasonal Loano Turistica Via Matteotti, 158 tel. e fax 019 610 412 Pietra Ligure Riviera delle Palme e-mail: [email protected] www.inforiviera.it Loano (17025) e-mail: [email protected] Corso Europa, 19 tel. 019 676 007 Head office fax 019 676 818 Alassio (17021) e-mail: [email protected] Viale Gibb, 26 tel. 0182 647 11 Pietra Ligure (17027) fax 0182 644 690 Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 30 tel. 019 629 003 fax 019 629 790 e-mail: [email protected] Toirano (17055) Piazzale Grotte tel. 0182 989 938 Toirano fax 0182 984 63 e-mail: [email protected] Riviera delle Palme Riviera delle Palme gio Verezzi - Lo Bor ano o - - rit Pi pi et S or ra o .inf ivie L t w ra i n w .i g a t u w r S e o - t t T e o h i CLICK r a g r n o o B Val Maremola Val Varatella FREE COPY Colori compositi COPERTINA LOANESE ING 5-06-2006 15:48 Pagina 2 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K he short arc of land ealthy eating, and sea healthy living, between Borgio Verezzi and ww sleeping al fresco Borghetto Santo Spirito epitomises When we're packed into our crowded ttall that Liguria has to offer its city streets, stuck in traffic jams, or inhabitants and the would-be locals crushed into buses and trains, we who love it so: crystal-clear seas, would all like to live as they do in the sandy beaches, ancient seaside adverts, where families eat breakfast villages and modern facilities and out in the fresh country air with happy, amenities for a fun-packed holiday. relaxed smiles on their faces and not Waiting to be discovered a stone's a trace of the Monday morning blues throw from the sea lie green valleys in sight. carpeted with olive groves and pine Life isn't like that in the real world. But trees, and prehistoric caves which we can get closer to our ideal by were home to the very first Ligurians: staying on one of the homesteads modern-day visitors to the caves at inland of Pietra and Loano, perhaps Borgio and Toirano never fail to be among the olive groves at Toirano or mesmerised by the unexpected Giustènice, or in a 15th century palazzo natural spectacle which lies in wait in the heart of Tovo San Giacomo, for them. revelling in the sheer pleasure of Lovers of open-air sports and sleeping amidst green fields a few sweeping panoramas will savour kilometres from the sea. the high mountain scenery and exhilarating excursions, with visits The towns along the coast are ideal if to welcoming homesteads where you want to dance the night away or they can taste and buy olive oils, sip cocktails on the seafront; but if you local foods and wines which cannot prefer to rest on your holidays, to seek be found on the supermarket shelf. out peace and quiet and the forgotten The area around Loano and Pietra flavours of traditional foods... Ligure offers holiday-makers no end While you are here, take the chance of entertainments, international to taste the olive oils, wine, fruit and festivals and dialect theatre seasons, vegetables which local farmers produce cool summer nights in country for connoisseurs. villages, popular feast days with All in all you will be glad you chose the delicious treats made from wild Riviera delle Palme for your vacation. mushrooms and fresh vegetables. All year round lovers of excursions can While this part of the Riviera is enjoy breathtaking itineraries which run wonderful all year round, it really right along the edge of the sea, and comes into its own between wooded tracks which take them to the September and June, when the tops of mountains: to help them along climate is mild and the beaches are their way, the APT Riviera delle Palme less crowded; it is no coincidence has produced special walkers' maps, that tourism first began here in the copies of which can be picked up from winter, at the turn of the 20th all IAT tourist offices. century, when English and German tourists came to soak up the sun and escape the fogs and mists of © 2001, APT Riviera delle Palme - Alassio Editorial content: the north. These rich, aristocratic M&R Comunicazione - Genova globetrotters paved the way for the Text: Gian Antonio Dall’Aglio Translation: Ginevra Marchiani visitors who flock to the Riviera di Graphics and illustrations: Studio Gioberti - Albenga Pietra e di Loano from Milan, Turin, Photos: APT Riviera delle Palme Archives; M&R Archives; Gian Antonio Dall’Aglio; Germany and Holland to savour Flavio Furlani; Fabrizio Gioberti; Roberto Merlo; sun-drenched, fun-packed Gianni Ottonello; Stefano Piola; Andrea Siri; Luigi Strata vacations. Printed by: M.Sabatelli Ed. - SV Colori compositi Il Loanese & il Pietrese Borgio Verezzi A double name vegetable gardens and for long centuries was for a double village orchards. Its cobbled exposed to the risk of Half on the sea, half on streets lead to the sloping incursions by saracen the hills: here is Borgio Piazza San Pietro and to pirates. Between the hill of Verezzi, a place with its white eighteenth the ancient borgo and the multiple aspects. Borgio is century church and, beach, the flat, modern a very well preserved beyond, to the sixteenth town has all the necessary ancient borgo, it lies on a century, defense keep one facilities to make the stay small hill very close to the of many you can find on of tourists pleasant: beach 1 sea, surrounded by the coast of Liguria, which resorts, restaurants, Borgio Verezzi in marine flora and fauna, necessary to climb some a joy for scuba divers and panoramic hairpin bends: for those who love to Verezzi is on the top, 200 browse around the metres above sea level, coloured submarine world with its four old borgos with respirator and that are more than 900 flippers. It is also useful for years old, scattered fishermen who supply groups of houses made of fresh fish to restaurants stone, houses as clear as that still propose the the rock of the terraces on Ciüpin, the tasty local fish which they stand, promenades, bars to drink soup prepared by cooking cultivated fields where cocktails in the full slowly the fish in a terra- olives and even carob moonlight. Naturally, in cotta bowl with tomatoes trees grow, with cobbled front of Borgio there's the and other vegetables and alleys, arches and little sea, it is characterized by then pouring the cream in squares, lazy cats, shallow waters and a soup plates over roasted vineyards, stone seats and rocky shoal covered with bread. washing troughs; on top 2 sand at a depth of only To reach the other half of of the hill there is also a half a metre, it is very rich this wonderful town, it is mill, called phoenician Theatre in square In the borgo Piazza di Verezzi, in Sant'Agostino square, it's more than 30 years that the International Festival of Theatre and the National Award "Veretium" take place. In the sunset, while actors rehearse the show that they will perform at night, among curious cats and the clink of the restaurant dishes, with the scent of the salted water in the air... every year in Verezzi a wedding between nature and culture is celebrated. ● Piazza di Verezzi. Saint Augustin Chapel is the backstage of the famous International Festival of Theatre. Some views of the borgo looking over the sea Il Loanese & il Pietrese because of Walking on a sunny day All mums of its building along paths and tortuous the world are technique. roads that climb this rocky beautiful They are and green hill, better if in named winter or in spring, far Poggio, from the heart of summer, And the parson Piazza, allowes to deeply of Verezzi knows it very Roccaro, and Crosa the understand all the charm well, infact he rings the four borgos of Verezzi: of the Mediterranean and "mum's bell" every evening little balconies facing the of the Riviera delle Palme at 19 to remember all sun and the sea; at the and to realize with wonder mums of the world. beginning of the second and joy what millennium Saracens living in Liguria already loved this corner means. of Riviera, infact the architectural style in which these houses are built is called "saracen". 3 Borgio Verezzi Oh, it feels very well, also Traditions because it isn't a camel with hair and humps, of the old but a strange rocky days formation. Just outside The limestone rocks Borgio, in the of this strip of Riviera are borgo cemetery, there's a full of caves and ravines, beautiful, ancient church: it excavated by the water in was founded with the name The camel in the cave the course of millenniums. of San Pietro on the path of In one of his songs Franco And when water and a Roman road and it is now Battiato says he feels limestone play together, dedicated to Saint Stephen; "like a camel in a gutter", they can be great artists. it is medieval and romanic it must not be very The caves of Borgio are and it has an inside wall that, comfortable, poor camel.