A trip to the sea ...

Since coming to Barga, we have heard tell of the Cinque Terre, the "five lands" or villages that lie on he Ligurian coast just to the north of La Spezia..  The five villages have historically been very inaccessible, but in the 19th century were joined to the outside world by a coastal railway, which is mostly housed in tunnels.  To this day, the villages are much more accessible by train than by car. However, like the villages in our own area, they are well connected by various old mule trails, now kept up as hiking trails.  They are mostly composed of steps!

A good weather forecast spurred us on to visit the Cinque Terre over the last couple of days.  This post describes the rail journey from Barga to Aulla, then Carrara, then to Monterosso the first of the five villages.

We knew there was to be a change in the weather all over, but it was so warm when we got to Monterosso that we felt as if we'd arrived in foreign land!

Promise of a fine day at Barga station ...

Dramatic backdrop to the town of Equi Terme high up in the Serchio valley ...

... and farther up still

Standing on the platform of Carrara station, the eye can hardly tell the difference between the summit snows on the mountains, and the white leavings of centuries of excavation of the marble for which Carrara is world famous.  Barga is beyond the mountain, about 30 miles distant.

Giant blocks of marble await shipment in this stoneyard at Carrara

We finally arrive at Monterosso, most northerly of the Cinque Terre - short sleeves!

Watch the birdie

Coloured birds are a novelty if you live in Orkney!  We put an apple up in the kaki tree when all its own fruit had gone, hoping to attract the leiothrixes, however, they disappeared, and great tits, blue tits and a blackcap have been feasting on the apples.  They scoff one in three to four days.  Feel free to add your own cute captions!

A flowery meadow

A couple of days ago, soon after we returned from Ferarra, we went back to the Bagni di Lucca valley, up above Montefegatesi to the hill of Monte Prato Fiorito - the "flowery meadow".  The initial walk up the road showed that a lot of tree debris had had to be cleared after the storm. Not many people live up here - there is no village - but I suppose everyone has to have access ...  The two or three stands of fir trees were strangely carpeted with fallen boughs presumaby broken off in the constant motion of the trees a week ago.

There were primroses, hellebores and crocuses all the way, and only a little snow left at the top of the roadway and the hill itself.  Not as clear a sky as we have been used to, but no rain - and no wind!  Slightly fewer crocuses on the top than last year, but perhaps it is a later spring - and I'm sure a blink of sun would have opened up the flowers which were there.

It is very hard not to take yet another photograph of Montefegatesi ..

Barbara inspects some older fir trees which have been cut to clear the road

Untroubled by events - crocuses all the way up the road

The strange carpet of branches and needles under the fir trees

Prato Fiorito - on the top 

The Apuan alps seen from the top

Drinking with Copernicus ...

We had one more day in Ferrara, so it was time to mount our bikes and get going.  In between cappuccinos, we managed to enjoy visits to the Palazzo Schifanoia museum (wonderful frescoes) Archaeological museum (Roman ships and Etruscan artworks from the lost city of Spina), the Castello Estense and the house of Ariosto (writer of Orlando Furioso.

Bill ruffles David's fringe at the cafe at the Palazzo Schifanoia

You would describe the Castello Estense as a fairytale castle if you didn't know of its grim history in medieval times ...

Corso Ercole I d'Este:  an early example of urban planning - quite tricky to cycle on the cobbles though!

Fresco in the Archaeological museum

One of the many Etruscan urns

Fabulous Etruscan gold jewellery 

The duomo at night

"Al Brindisi" - perhaps the oldest hostelry in the world (established 1435). Copernicus drank there when he was a student in Ferrara!

Barbara and another young guest in the breakfast room in our B&B

Ferreting about in Ferrara

We have been hearing about Ferrara for some time - partly in connection with some renaissance celebrities who were born there - Savonarola (Bonfire of the Vanities), Ariosto (Orlando Furioso) and the Dukes of Este who ruled here.  The infamous renaissance beauty Lucrezia Borgia, who is buried in Ferrara, married one of the dukes in 1502.  Also, Ferrara is in the flatlands of the River Po valley, and, unlike Barga, ideal for cycling  something which appealed greatly.

Finally, we had both read the book and seen the film "The Garden of the Finzi Continis" by Giorgio Bassani - a love story which takes place in the doomed jewish community of Ferrara in World War II.  The film contains many locations recognisable in Ferrara.

All these things made the city seem evocative and interesting.  We stayed in a B&B run by a Ferrara family, who were very enthusiastic and knowledgable about their city.  That, together with the sunny weather and the cycle-friendly streets made our stay memorable.

Palazzo dei Diamente (Diamond Palace).  This Palazzo built in 1493 with its unusual spiky appearance is a distinct landmark in Ferrara

Along with Lucca, Ferrara has ne of the best preserved renaissance walls in Italy.  Unlike Lucca, they are not complete, however there are 9km of cycle and walking tracks on and beside the walls.

Like Parma, prosciutto and salami outlets abound!

The many bikes bring headaches for grumpy residents - the sign reads
"It is forbidden to lean your bike"

The cathedral shines in the floodlights ...

... while the red brick moated castle of the Este family gives an orange glow 

The main Piazza next morning - cathedral and campanile, complete with medieval shopping arcade attached ...

Cycling down the street of the vaults - lovely to look at, a bit knobbly cycling over the medieval cobbles!

Hamming it up in Parma ...

We have just returned from a three-day trip to Parma and Ferrara.  We found the towns very different in character - Parma felt like a quiet provincial market town, while Ferrara, with its university, was full and bustling day and night.

We took the train northwards up the Serchio valley to Aulla - the stupendous mountain views are almost impossible to photograph, as they are to be seen when the train is in motion - the stations generally have no views.  From Aulla we go through the Appenines round in a curve, eventually heading south to Parma.  Apart from Parma ham and Parmesan cheese, Parma has an important fresco by Corregio which we wanted to see in the Cathedral, however, we have just found out there is another important one in Parma which we missed.  Not enough homework!

A quick cup of coffee in the breakfast room of our B&B 

What Parma is all about ...

The wonderfully decorated post office building in Parma

More wonder - Corregio's frescoed dome in the cathedral

With rucksack, heading out - the Baptistery in pink Verona marble visible in mid-distance

Barbara at the vast Palazzo della Pilotta dating from 1588.  It was even huger until it was devastated by allied bombing in World War II

The amazing wooden Farnese Theatre - much of it reconstructed after bomb damage.  It was built inside an enormous room in the palace - the armoury - simply to put on a show for Cosimo II de' Medici in 1618 - and apparently the show never happened!

Even renaissance men had problems with their wood splitting ...

A walk from Gombereto to Pieve di Controne, San Gemignano and Longoio

A beautiful day, so we decided to further explore the valley above Bagni di Lucca.  We hadn't really been thinking about the "disastro"- the freak wind which has caused so much damage, but as soon as we began ascending in the car, we began seeing fallen trees. The paths we wanted to walk were however little affected, and we only had one small detour to make.

The villages had suffered very differently.  Fallen roof tiles were in evidence everywhere, but San Gemignano had been hit particularly hard.  Most roofs were affected, some very badly.  Cars had been smashed by falling debris, and trees down everywhere.  The roof construction of loosely laid tiles was vulnerable to this freak wind, but that also means that they can be rebuilt quickly (if the sarking is intact) by simply re-laying them.

Throughout the mayhem, the spring flowers were blooming in the warm sunshine ...

Just out of Bagni di Lucca, these shattered young chestnut trees were a taste of what was to come

All tranquility on the crocus-strewn path

The sign pointed to the "Old Well".  It has been a spring which has been used in times past as a "lavatoio" - a communal clothes washing trough.  

Outskirts of San Gemignano - someone's precious(?) collection of old Vespas now sits exposed to the elements

The process of relaying the roof is underway ...

While the owners of this house (and shed) have a bigger job on their hands - before the next rain ...

While the violets bloom on regardless ...