Discovering the Ligurian Riviera
The surroundings of Diano Marina by motorbike
July 11, 2020
The territory of Diano Marina can offer continuous surprises even to those who live there. The history and the beauty of the landscape of the Gulf of Diano are part of our daily life, but we often neglect them because we are distracted or busy taking care of something else. And instead it would be enough to put aside habits and rediscover a slow pace, to look with new eyes at what is in front of us. A ride on a motorbike without an apparent destination could be the perfect opportunity to practice a nearby tourism, not far from home but with the spirit ready to welcome the beauty that our region offers us!
MAYBE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT
In the coming years, proximity tourism will become increasingly important and develop. This is because already for some time we are witnessing the emergence of new needs related to travel, in which there is more and more space for destinations close to us but often ignored by mass tourism. A slow tourism, in short, that leads to the discovery of places, traditions and habits with strong identity properties.
The pilgrims' hostel in Diano Calderina
We are at the end of June, on one of those afternoons when the wind blows away the last clouds of rain to make way for the scents of summer. We start from the farmholidays and we cross the streets of Diano Marina.There are few people around: the tourists are on the beach, while people from Diano Marina prefer to rest a bit more, before going back to work.
We take the road towards Diano Calderina with the intention of discovering that structure intended for pilgrims who travel along the Via della costa and which we talked about in the article dedicated to the hamlets of Diano Marina. We leave the moped and after a few meters we are in front of the church of San Giacomo and the hostel. We have a chat with the parish priest, who tells us about the structure, shows us the interior rooms, furnished with many curious objects and the necessary to offer some refreshment to travelers. We take the opportunity to take some photos and browse through the rooms full of stories. We would like to hear the stories of all the people who came across that place, but we can still imagine them.
MAYBE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT
The Via della Costa is the stretch of Ligurian land along the route that, starting in Rome, ends in Santiago de Compostela. There are 12 stages from the French-Italian border (precisely from Ponte San Ludovico in Ventimiglia) to Sarzana. The identifying symbol found along this route is a yellow shell on a blue background.
Towards the Saracen Tower
We know that a short distance from the guesthouse, surrounded by olive trees, there is an old watchtower. We want to visit it! Let's go up to the entrance of the cemetery of Diano Calderina and follow the path that goes down among the olive trees and dry stone walls. After a few minutes, here it is: it's just her, the tower we were looking for! We take advantage of it to rest a bit and dedicate an entire photo book to her.
Then we continue our route by motorbike until we find the sign for Diano Serreta; after about ten metres, on the right, we see a small uphill road heading towards the cemetery. At this point we can see a path between the bands that winds along a mule track and leads to Diano Marina: we decide to walk a piece of it.
After a few minutes, we leave this road and go back to the moped parked nearby. Our city shoes, in fact, are not suitable for a walk among olive trees and mule tracks! What to do now? We decide to continue our "adventure" without a real destination and after about five minutes we arrive in Gorleri area. Here a sign attracts our attention: it indicates a way to a viewpoint over the whole Gulf of Diano. Curious, we head towards our destination, but we have to pay attention to a placid group of cats crossing the road. In fact, just before, a sign indicated the "danger" of cat crossing!
The Alpicella tower
We continue our journey but we take a wrong turn, crossing the path that leads to the remains of the Alpicella tower. This inconvenience allows us, however, to happen in a beautiful place, where we can admire the landscape that includes the territory of Diano on the coast on one side and the mountains on the other. All around nature is in celebration. In front of our eyes lie terraced strips and flowering brooms. We go back and after having sighted the sign with the indication for the tower, we proceed on foot towards the building.
Alpicella Tower, Diano Gorleri.
We are now in Colle San Leonardo, also in the hamlet of Diano Gorleri. Here, almost on the border with Imperia, we finally find the Alpicella tower. Almost completely hidden by the plants and in a state of semi-abandoned, the structure maintains, however, that imposing air that we imagine this military construction once had. Let's take some photos and enjoy the silence that dominates the promontory. From up here you can enjoy a truly privileged view!
MAYBE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT
The Tower of Alpicella is part of a system of sighting and control of marine traffic. In the past it allowed to keep under constant observation the movement of ships, and to prepare a defense system in case of approach of invading boats, especially barbarians. Similar towers can be found all along the Ligurian coast, not only on West Liguria.
Going home
We decide to take a new road back home and go down through the countryside and the cultivated gardens that lead us to the beginning of Capo Berta, just before Diano Marina.
We are home. Within a couple of hours we enjoyed the view of the landscapes that the Ligurian nature offers us free of charge and a short distance away; we played in the clothes of pilgrims in search of refreshment, visited ancient watchtowers and got to know some nice cats. The expense was minimal, but we still felt privileged.
MAYBE YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT
The promontory of Capo Berta divides the Gulf of Diano from Imperia, but its importance is due to its particular naturalistic richness. In fact, it has been recognized by the Liguria Region as a S.I.C. (Site of Community Importance) for the conservation of natural and semi-natural habitats, and as a Z.S.C. (Special Area of Conservation) by Italy on the indication of the European Community.
Being part of a territory so rich in history is priceless, and every day we can only renew our gratitude for this!
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