Just Another Day on the Ligurian Coast? Framura

From here you can almost see forever! At least to the French Riviera!   It was so clear!!!

Alternating beach days with hikes and sightseeing activities has been really fun to experience.

On Thursday, we woke up to spectacular blue skies and warm temperatures. We had planned to go to the beach but we hurried it up a bit because of the gorgeous weather. As we got down to our favorite beach we were impressed by two interesting developments. While there was no onshore wind the waves breaking on the beach and the seas generally were quite high. The second thing was that whatever the wave action had removed, or covered the existing pebble beach with a beautiful sand beach, we were able to lay down our beach matts and enjoy a very comfortable beach day.

Our stay on the beach was extended because each time we went into the water and experienced the amount of energy in the surf, we were wanting more of it. Fortunately our application of sunscreen was such that we did not experience any sunburn. Such a great day!!

After our initial climb out of Levanto we see our 1st
destination along the way
 San Giorgio Church above Bonassola

So Friday we were energized to do another long hike. It meant doing a lot of elevated mountain trail hiking and negotiating an ancient trail system that has been around like 'forever'. Starting in Levanto we climbed using our "Organic' mapping system to our first stop for the day, San Giorgio church, high above Bonassola. It's small but can be seen above Bonassola.

Sandra along the way
to the church

On the 1st partial leg we walked with a fellow from N. Carolina that says he does the first part of the trail to Bonassola every 2nd day. He didn't climb to the church, but the first elevation steepness was difficult as it was.

San Giorgio Church

Lunch in the courtyard of San Giorgio church we checked how we felt and decided to go for the full meal deal and hike to Framura on the trail we did four years earlier. That meant taking a trail that continues to go over the shoulder of the first mountain up to Montaretto (
Path n°1 Levanto – Bonassola – Montaretto – Framura).

The elevation gain  continues from the quiet valley that the church is in to continue up and over the mountain shoulder. This part of the trail is well developed. However from Montaretto up 368M , down and up again to the road that will lead to a set of stairs above Framura where you

Yes it's hot up here Cactus aplenty

plunge to the coastline is daunting, not simply because of elevation, but the looseness of the stone material you walk on, the narrowness, and the cliffs you find yourself walking gingerly along. We did it with only experiencing one minor fall. Our Organic map tracked our distance at 2hr 9 mins, and 6.8 kms to Montaretto 368M climb, and adding the distance on to Framura of 3.6 kms and then the tunnels walk back to Levanto and our vehicle was another 7.8 kms= 18.2 kms. OMG, no wonder we are tired today.

The hike is the price you pay for the views and experiences you get in return. The day was SO CLEAR, we could see from above Framura up the coast and all the way into France. Simply amazing.💓💓

CLICK HERE>> This video actually captures a helicopter

to begin with as I pan to the left

As we got closer to Framura we could hear the repeated prop noise from a helicopter doing steep terrain delivery of building materials to a building site on the super steep coastline. How you would handle this otherwise we don't know, but we had come to experience it while watching a video of a ruin build along the Amalfi coast.

Gorgeous coastal views!

The views as we end in Framura and proceed
to walk the tunnels back to Levanto

I have one more video that I'm not sure why it is at 2X speed and therefore you can not hear the prop noise.

https://youtube.com/shorts/8W9nP2PlK84

                            Click above for a close up of the helicopter delivering building materials.

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