From the Ciapà Park to the Melo Fountain

Once again we travel the roads of the Gulf of Diano without a precise destination, with the desire to discover something unusual or, simply, try to observe our territory from a new point of view.

In this article we will take you with us to the Ciapà Park and the Melo Fountain, with a small foray to Diano Castello.

Departure from the farmholidays

We take the motorbike and leave from our farmholidays in Diano Marina on an early summer afternoon, with little sun but lots of wind. We drive along the Via Aurelia towards Andora, Cervo and arrive at Capo Mimosa, near the camping of the same name. From here, on the left, we take the panoramic road that runs halfway up the hill along Via Aurelia. We move further and further away from the main road, climbing on hairpin bends interspersed with pretty villas and independent villas, each with parking and garden. Finally, we follow the Via Romana Levante until we take Strada San Leonardo.

At this point we arrive at a crossroads from which three dirt roads branch off. We are now at the lower limit of the Ciapà Park. This overlooks Cervo and occupies the final part of the ridge that goes from Pizzo d'Evigno to the sea. We decide to follow the path that leads to the ancient village, paying close attention to the rugged terrain. We remember that we are on a motorcycle and, with a thousand precautions, we proceed at a walking pace towards the park.

At the Ciapà Park

Here a lush vegetation welcomes us: the typical Mediterranean scrub is protected by the many trees that produce shade and make the perfect environment for a walk or a picnic. Despite the steep terrain, we can't help but admire the beautiful views of Cervo and the whole Gulf, which alternate with denser woodland. Every now and then we see the remains of old stone buildings, perhaps watchtowers or simple houses, we do not know; here and there we also meet the traditional areas with benches and tables where you can stop for a snack in company.

The dirt track continues for a few hundred meters until we reach the area north of Cervo. The road is still bumpy, in spite of some asphalted pieces: we proceed, therefore, with the utmost caution.

The church of St. Nicholas

We pass in front of the remains of a well-preserved tower, which we imagine was once part of a more complex building. Continuing on, we arrive immediately behind Cervo. We resume, then, the provincial road descending towards the Aurelia. At a certain point we meet the profile of a church overlooking the hill in front of Cervo. This is the church of San Nicholas, which we absolutely want to visit to take pictures and take advantage of the privileged position. The directions to reach the building are not clear, but we can still find the church with its beautiful churchyard and the pretty square that delimits the structure.

A privileged view

Cervo stands out right in front of us in an unusual pose. The point of view is different, in fact, from what you find in books, magazines and websites. We take the opportunity to take several photographs and bring this unusual memory with us. We seem to discover the village for the first time, yet it is always the same, unchanged for centuries. We are the ones who change, and our lopsided perspective allows us to admire the church of the Corallini and the houses around it in an unusual profile.

In search of the ancient fountain

After resting for a few minutes on a bench in front of the church square we decide to resume the journey in search of an ancient fountain, perhaps of medieval origin. We think it is located near Varcavello, the only hamlet of Diano Castello, because in the past we had discovered an indication that had intrigued us. We then enter Diano Marina and cross the old railway track, heading towards Diano Castello. At the traffic circle that shows us the detour to Varcavello, we walk a few hundred meters and reach the hamlet.

We park the moped in a public square and start the search for the fountain. We cross the typical Ligurian caruggio, with the houses leaning against the main street overlooking the hills surrounding Varcavello. On one side we can see the lower side of Diano Calderina, one of the hamlets of Diano Marina, on the other Diano Castello.

Unfortunately, however, there is no trace of the fountain. We think it may be in a more secluded area, perhaps in the direction of the municipality. We walk along a side street, an old mule track called "Au Castellu" (at the castle: Diano Castello), hoping to find it, but nothing.

The Apple Tree Fountain

At this point we decide to continue towards the village and once we arrive we find a sign with the inscription: Fontana del Melo. Is that the one we are looking for? By now we have little to lose and the curiosity is too much: we decide to follow our instinct and continue the search. We cross on foot the carriage road that, if crossed all the way, continues towards the upper valley (Diano Arentino, Evigno), until we see a new sign towards the fountain.

Then we take a path that, after hundreds of meters between countryside, private gardens, old walls, houses under construction and others in a state of abandonment, leads us to our coveted destination. Finally we find it and we take many photos. Actually, we don't know if it's the one we were looking for at the beginning, but it's still worth paying attention to it, after so many vicissitudes.

Back home

It got late and we decided to reach the moped we parked on the other side of the hill. We are tired and we can't wait to go back to the apartments of our farmholidays. We retrace the path and, once we arrive in the village of Diano Castello, we decide to take a different road from the outward one. We descend to Varcavello through a road that passes between vegetable gardens and vineyards of Vermentino: "A vietta" (the little street).

Before returning home, however, we make one last attempt to find "our" fountain. We leave again with the moped and a few hundred meters later, just outside the town, we find our Holy Grail, the object of our search from the beginning. It is a series of wash-houses, now in disuse, which over the years have replaced what was once an ancient fountain. Our fountain.

After a whole afternoon among vegetable gardens and dirt roads, we almost do not remember why we started our journey. Yet, we return to the farmholidays with a smile in our hearts. Once again we have memories to cherish. But above all, we have experienced an area that we call home, and that we like to share with our guests and readers of our blog.

 

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