Castello San Giorgio - Levanto Liguria

 Castello San Giorgio  Levanto

View from the Turret of Castello San Giorgio

Our trip to Italy and specifically Levanto this year is a bit of a departure for us. We have been here many times starting in 2004 and visited most everything there was to see associated to the Cinque Terre.

This year, we were reviewing a Youtube video on Levanto where they mentioned a church, Chiesa di Sant’Andrea (St. Andrew’s Church) and a Castello San Giorgio. We had known about both these sites but we had seen so many churches and castles on past trips we hadn't made the effort due partly to the fact the Castello is privately owned and not open to visits. Another leftover site to visit is the Punta Mesca a point and lighthouse that overlooks Monterosso, the 5th town on the Cinque Terre.

A lower entrance View

Our strategy on this busy long weekend filled with visitors and locals to Levanto was to walk to the church and Castello and find the trail to Punta Mesca, then come down the stairs to the south beach to enjoy the sun, sand and surf.

The Castello was the high point on the shorter hike so we made our way there first. As I rounded a part of the town wall to find the viewpoint of the Castello I noticed a control gate that prevents entry was open and up the driveway a bit was an older gentleman and younger worker sitting there. As I approached the older gentleman, we'll call him "Ray" out of respect for his privacy, who said quietly "closed". About 15 seconds later Sandra came around the corner and he again said "closed",  I mentioned we were together to which he then asked where we're from. I said Canada, and he asked as so many do "French or English", and I confirmed BC.

Sandra and Ray

 As we found out he is the owner and was waiting for some material to be delivered and by coincidence we saw that material being loaded on our walk. Since it hadn't arrived he said "I take you for a short tour, because you have come so far".

With this we became excited, he explained who he was and his lineage to the Castle. It dates back to 845 AD then 1165 (approx) and has been held within the family to this day. Beyond that, out of respect for their privacy, we will leave the information out of this blog.

We climbed the stairs to the main entrance and entered the interior. At one point he pointed to a small room that he said was his room as an infant as he was born there and then to some other interior rooms that have seen alterations over the years.

As we eventually climbed to the turret area and walked on a sealed surface inside the protective turret walls he explained that during WWII the Germans occupied the Castle to defend their position from the Allies and had mounted an anti aircraft gun in that position. As he explained with the repeated use and vibrations associated to it's use during the war the roof beams and roof were damaged and it was a big job post war to repair it so the castle would again be liveable.

A climb to the Turret

"Ray" also pointed out how the Castle and Levanto town walls were originally connected, but he was personally disappointed that the town had not maintained the integrity of the town wall in places on the south side.

We valued the conversation far beyond the little that is written on this private Castle. Ray explained to Sandra as I took pictures of the views and the video that they were able to communicate at one time between Genoa, a lighthouse out on the water, likely a small islet, and either Portofino or Porto Venere using light signals.  The views from the Castle turret are gorgeous and can be seen in the video and accompanying pictures. 

Turret View San Giorgio

File photo from State of Genoa of the Castle

Some background to the Castle (Castello in Italian) is found sites such as Tripadvisor. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g580223-d5980738-r749918927-Castello_San_Giorgio-Levanto_Italian_Riviera_Liguria.html

It's nice to have the 'real story' from the owner. What an unexpected experience from such a well travelled man.

Overlooking Levanto from the Castle

England's new Claim to Fame

From Stefan Knopf

Stefan is a German motorcycle tour operator, who ships and stores motorcycles for foreigners, and does some rentals as well. He is the only shipper we trust with our bike. Here is an information warning from him, dated September 5th 2025. I don't normally post this stuff, but Noraly (Itchy Boots) , also had her loaned Tenere 700 stolen twice this summer while on a book signing tour of "not so" Great Britain.

This is a report after he shipped 2 bikes from the USA to the UK, and they were stolen within 4 days.

 

"2 moore Bike Stolen in the UK so even it is a great country I advice to not go there because what ever you do you have no chance ,our Customer been flying there Bikes from USA to UK AND AFTER 4 days there ar gone and yes even a lock does not help ,we at knopftours do Not rent anymore bikes going to UK .THE STEEL OUT OF parking Garage or just when you go shopping it does not matter the have you on the radar and Bike is gone unless you do not like your Bike do not go there .Never park your bike and leave it alone not even tpo go pie or for a snack and No loock will keep them from steeling your bike .eather it goes in a container to Africa or in 2 houre in Parts .stefan knopf"

What I have observed in this particular instance is that the disc lock has had a slide hammer used on it to break the lock, that is why you see the lock pin open. It was not cut as there isn't enough room for that.

The second cable lock can be cut with the smallest of bolt cutters. This theft took likely under 90 seconds to complete.

What you notice in the original picture of the two BMW R1200 GS bikes, neither of the bikes had their steering heads locked hard left. The owners can be faulted with NOT using the locking mechanisms that the manufacturer provided. Not that these can't be defeated, but it does add to the tools and time needed to be brought to the job. Notice as well, no bike covers on them. These 'beemers' are sought after for sure, but if they aren't identified quickly as valuable they may be "out of sight out of mind."

This is unfortunate (understatement) and likely both bikes were walked/pushed into a van parked in close proximity.

Here is a facebook video showing another BMW 1200GS being stolen in London. Watch the simplicity associated to the 3 scooters riders and passengers as to how quickly (under 30 secs.) they stole this bike. Making it easy by only using the steering lock and nothing else.

https://www.facebook.com/1563856356/videos/pcb.10237744538383724/1280433760281078

Stefan's post doesn't make any comment on tracking devices, nor should it as the thieves could be alerted.

For more info on Motorcycle Security while on the road visit another post I did years ago and try to keep updated. Including tracking device info.

https://vstromadventures.blogspot.com/2011/08/motorcycle-security-while-on-road.html

Switzerland - Sept. 21-23 - Lukmanier Pass and Disentis

  Lukmanier Pass and Disentis

In Biasca, CH under threatening skies

Our last morning in Menaggio and we wake up to threatening skies. We knew they were forecast but we hoped we'd luck out like the rest of our trip and have great weather.

It was not to be. After our final breakfast at the Hotel Merloni we load the bike and head towards Lugano, Switzerland. 

This is a memorable highway for us that dates back to mid May 2006 when we rode from Colmar, France to Menaggio on a day that got colder and colder and began to snow on the Gotthard Pass. So much so, that we were turned back and had to take the Oberpal pass to Disentis and the Lukmanier Pass to Lugano. 

I always characterized that ride which turned to pouring rain once you got over the Alps, "as driving inside a firehose".

We've been in contact with Heiko as he wanted to ride the pass and meet us 1/2 way and take us to his friends place in Disentis, CH. His last report was everything was cloudy but not raining there, and with it still dry when we prepared, we hoped we'd make it unscathed.

It was not to be.

The drive along Lago di Lugano is spectacular and intimate as you drive through tunnels and galleries that constantly give you enticing glances at the beauty of the lake and surroundings. But just as we enter Lugano city limits it starts to pour. Fortunately we had inserted our rain liners in anticipation of the rain.

Things have changed dramatically from '06 as well as we head north toward Biasca, CH where we are to meet Heiko. It is basically town joined to town all the way to Bellinzona, CH. From there a stretch of 16 kms allows us to meet almost right on time with Heiko.

Looking to avoid the chance of rain we decide to keep on riding to Disentis with Heiko. We aren't aware of it at the time, but we are about to have to share the road with about 30 Bovine friends, large cows that have summered in the high Swiss Alps and with it being Sept 21st and with snow in the forecast the annual parade of them down to lower pastures and barns is happening. 

We start to see 'remnants' of the cows before we actually meet up with the herd. We are ahead of some vehicles travelling in the same direction which prevents us from stopping to take our own pictures but the experience is once in a lifetime. The stock photo I've attached is just a small sample of the herd that was coming back to Disentis. There is a lead cow, and on this mountain pass road they are 2-3 across and about 30 total. They are all decorated with headresses, and the herders, 3 female and the rest men are dressed in festive costumes as well. As we pass by one cow gets out of alignment and nearly bodychecks us as we slowly pass by at 5 kph. Whew!  The cacophony of the huge bells they wear especially for this parade down the mountain is what attracts the residents of the small villages as we descend the pass to Disentis.

Cows descending the pass back to the village of Disentis,
It's an annual celebration!

The remainder of the ride is extremely scenic with many villagers along the way waiting for their parade.

We arrive in Disentis at the friends 'cabin', which is actually a 2 level top floor apartment with this stunning view out our bedroom window.

View from our bedroom balcony looking NE in the swiss Alps

After a quick lunch we head out as Heiko's friend wants to show us her town and specifically an antique train that will come in at 4:00pm. As we had come down into Disentis, what stands out is this huge Benedictine Monastery. In one form or another it has been there since the 6th century and is still active today. There is a chapel of huge dimensions for the townspeople with a stunning pipe organ and adornments.

Benedictine Monastery in Disentis
 founded in 720 and restored in 1880

Spectacular interior very similar to another Swiss cathedral

The monastery also is part of the route of St James or the Camino de Santiago as it connects to it in France. Monks actively run a hostel as part of the monastery.

Our walk through the village leads us to the train station just as the antique train arrives. 

That evening we dine out at a fantastic venison based restaurant with great food. Unfortunately the next day, which was intended to be a loop tour of 4 high mountain passes was cancelled given the fogged in conditions, rain and then some light snow so we decide to have a quiet meal in the apartment.

On Saturday, conditions are quite cold at 0 Celsius when we are about to leave

3 Muskateers

for Andermatt and in the direction of Zurich. There is snow in the air as we head over the Oberalp pass and stays cold until we dropped to about 1400 meters where some warmth begins to make its way into the air.

The remainder of the drive across Switzerland is scenic and we are in much better spirits as we cross Lake Zurich on a bridge and arrive in Singen, Germany for a night there.

Our ride back to Frankfurt and Oberursel for the most part is uneventful in much better weather with only some slow traffic areas near congested on/off ramps on the A5 autobahn.

Menaggio - Lake Como Sept 18-20

 Menaggio - Lake Como Sept 18-20

Lake Como looking south to the town of L. Como

The ride between Levanto and Menaggio on Lake Como is challenging to do other than by autostrada. I remember my first thoughts in 2011 after getting off the ferry from Morocco that we'd take a leisurely drive off the autostrada and find a place to stay for the night.

After it taking 1/2 hr to exit the Genova terminal and drive a normal road to Rapalla, I realized the best bet in either direction is the A12 autostrada. With speeds of 130 kph and roughly 35 tunnels you could do this route in the rain and not get wet.

So we resigned ourselves to taking the A12 to Genova, the A7 to Milan, and the A9 to Lake Como and then the west side road to Menaggio. Even at that there were road construction delays on both the A7 and A9 which made the 300 km drive a 4 hour ordeal in heavy traffic.

But once you get to Menaggio and see the lake it makes it more worthwhile.

We have stayed at the Hotel Merloni a few times over the years, in '06 on a dark and stormy night, '16 while headed to the Matterhorn, last year for 3 days while celebrating our 50th and now this time. With the food always of such great quality we decided this time to book 1/2 board and the meals have been excellent.

Last year we hiked to Le Croce overlooking the village

Menaggio

and lake and enjoyed the pool. Yesterday we hiked all the way down into Menaggio and back and rewarded ourselves with a great afternoon at the pool again.

Merloni Pool

Enjoying the Lake and the Beauty of Menaggio

Tomorrow we'll be on to Switzerland for a new adventure there as we meet up with Heiko for our last few days in Europe.

Cinque Terre - Levanto Sept. 13- - 18

 Cinque Terre - Levanto 

The Levanto Promenade after dark!

Levanto and the Cinque Terre are surprisingly busy when we arrive this mid-September. We see the crowds during the day fill the streets and the ristorantes, pizzerias and cafes more than ever before.  

Our first night there we head to the Le Palme ristorante near the promenade and order up some very delicious Lasagne and a 1/2 L of red wine. After we wander the promenade and get a nice lights picture while eating our 1st Levanto gelato 'Cremino'. We're reminded that we are normally here in early summer when it doesn't get dark until close to 9:30 pm.

One of the things we love about staying in a small B&B is the opportunity to interact with other guests and with Sara as host she engages each guest every day with the simple question "What's your plan for the day?". 

With that she always is able to offer great advice about how to accomplish what they set out to do.

Our first morning is a couple from Cologne where she is working on her PhD with a thesis focusing on the airline Lufthansa and what accounting path it needs to take to gain trust with it's clients when it comes to charging more money to buy carbon offsets for flying with them. Between that morning and the next we have quite a dialog about what companies as well as countries will have to work at doing better to gain the trust of clients and taxpayers as we enter the next phase of climate change. She is one bright cookie and it will be very interesting to read the outcome of her work. 

Our 4th morning a couple from Austin Texas that arrived after 1030pm the evening before join in the breakfast discussion after 830 am. He' a mechanical Engineer working on a PhD but together they are rushing through their breakfast so they can catch a train to Vernazza to see 1 village before heading further south to Pisa. It's unfortunate they didn't have time for Levanto or the great B&B they had booked into on their quest to see "Italy". 

We've taken an easy approach this time round with mornings at the beach and a nice hike through the rail tunnels to Bonnasola.

A view from above Bonnasola

There are even Dog beaches now!

Our time in Levanto is much appreciated with good food and such a nice village centre, and as always Gelato each evening. Sara and Corrado at the Amandola B&B are amazing hosts while raising two children. Between them and our previous hosts, Christian & Sebrina, at Fattore B&B we are so pleased we have found Levanto and them over the past 20 years of travel. Fernando and Leah, who served as our 1st ever hosts have since retired.

On the morning we are about to leave Sara asked if I can pack one more thing and gives me a ravioli cutter. We have talked so much over the years about the quality of Italian food and in particular ravioli that I had looked through the shops at the different gadgets/ forms etc. for creating ravioli. Sara's culinary skills are exceptional, which in itself makes the B&B stand out so I had asked what she used.

This final gesture was heartwarming and so typical of the people we have met over the years here in Levanto from Fernando and Leah, to Chris/Sebrina and their olive oil, and nutmeg , to Sara and Corrado and how they take you in as family when you're there.

Sara gifting her ravioli maker
wrapped in red ribbon

Here's another terrific story about the Cinque Terre. 

Castigliano del Lago -September 12th, 2023

 Castigliano del Lago

With the tourism pressure on Montepulciano we hadn't found a suitable B&B to stay in, but I had found a good one in Castigliano del Lago.

Unfortunately on arrival we found it was also in demand and was 'complete'. Fortunately the front desk recommended another place close by called Albergo Macerine and we were fortunate to get the last room there, which was perfect to the point we extended for a second night

Again Del Lago indicates a lake, and this is a very large lake in central Italy. Like the others it has a walled central town component and is situated right on the lake.

That afternoon when we first checked in it was very hot and we decided to enjoy the pool first. And while there noticed a very large number of purple Martins, a small bird that feeds on insects, particularly mosquitoes. They seemed to be doing a great job as well.

That evening we walked into the Old Town and found a nice ristorante to eat at where we ordered Montepulciano wine of course, to complement the Picce pasta Carbonara. Picce is a homemade slightly thicker pasta and it was very good. 

As the seating is fairly close together we heard a German couple speak English to the waitress to order their meal and we began to have a conversation with them. He was a rather grumpy fellow who didn't really like his EU neighboring countries that well.

Then at one point another voice could be heard and a lady from a 2nd table behind us began to ask where we were from. Once that was established we determined she was from Amersfoort NL and she had her husband and father with her.

For the next 1/2 hr. our tables engaged in a very funny conversation on a number of stories we each told. The rest of the restaurant looked on at the animated conversation where I had pulled back my chair so I could face the other two tables.

It was a very fun evening.

The next day since the weather was so great we decided to stay and did a walk around the whole town.

Italy has had a drought this summer like we have had at home, and we found out why there was a prevalence of mosquitoes. It seems larvae from mosquitoes has been buried in the lake bed, and as the lake has dried out the larvae have now hatched and are airborne again.

This is how dry it is! You can see where the grass was the waters edge before and now the waters edge is easily 150 feet away.

Valle D' Orcia and Pienza -September 11, 2023

 Valle D' Orcia and Pienza - Tuscany

Many people have heard of Tuscany from movies or books. It's a region (province) of Italy and located above Rome with Florence as it's major centre and just below Liguria and to the west of Umbria. We have passed through parts of Tuscany but decided with this central Italy tour we'd visit sights we wanted to see to include the better known wine centres such as Montepulciano.

Sandra's research found that the Valle D'Orcia named after the river that runs through there from Montalcino to Pienza was the heart of this 'golden' area of Tuscany. To this end as you drive through the region it appears that the place has been landscaped as a countryside.

The Cypress tree lined driveways are the first clue to this special region. 

It wasn't long before we got to the base of Pienza, a walled hilltown at the east end of the valley and found a great parking spot. This is the equivalent of parking at the front door to the bank. haha!

As we climbed up the steps to the walled city this is an example of the view that you can see anywhere in that valley. 

In the piazza we visited the amazing cathedral there, commissioned by Pope Pius II during the renaissance with large windows to encourage the 'enlightenment' of religious thinking and practice. It really stands apart from other churches.

Our walk through Pienza was beautiful and when we returned to the piazza when I was approached by a fellow (Peter) who asked if I could speak Italian and tell him what kind of stone the church was made of. I said I was from Canada and he said he was too, then quickly we learned that his parents lived in Parksville but now he and his wife and 3 kids were living in Switzerland for the past 20 yrs in Geneva. He was a bio-chemist working there and in Basel and his wife (Karen) was a Dulla and worked for a Swiss agency as well. Sandra visited with Karen for quite a while and I with Peter, until we were interrupted in our chats by the voice of a male opera singer who chose to entertain the crowds that were gathering near noon. In that environment the sound and his voice resonated so perfectly you could tell it is how opera should be heard.

I took a picture of him,

Opera Singer in the Piazza

and then decided to shoot a video, which is here. My recording didn't do it justice so I ended up finding a video shot a few weeks before with him singing.

After Pienza we drove past Montepulciano on the way to our hotel for the evening. We decided we'd come back for wine tasting the next day. But Castelgliani del Lago had other plans. See our next post.

stock photo