Italy 12 - Lerici /Colanata and a day at the seaside and Ozzie the owl

---

Our last trip and in fact our farewell to Italy came as headed for Colonnata. Not quite culture but definitely it was in the broadest sense because ofits proximity to Carrera and the marble quarries which produced the materials for Italys sculptors. Large rocks were strewn along the roadside as it wound its way up the hill. Not beautiful place, in fact the scarred landscape was quite ugly in parts. Shops lined the roadsides selling marble products ranging from full scale large sculptures the type of which you would struggle to get on a plane to tiny perfectly formed owls. We bought Ozzie to join another marble owl purchased years before. Now he wouldn’t be so lonely with Ozzie to join him.



For lunch we headed to the small town of Lerici close to La Spezia in Liguria. As we approached we were greeted by houses of honey, cream and pink clinging onto the hillside beneath the imposing castle. Parking was relatively easy although a little way out of town and walking hard work due to the heat from the sun. Only mad dogs and Englishmen would walk in this weather. Cutting through alleyways we ended up on the esplanade on the seafront where we sat underneath the umbrellas of a handy café. After lunch we walked along the front doing what Italians do best promenade in the sun eating ice-creams. Part way along we sat on the harbour wall watching the sea lapping on the breakwater and families of crabs hiding under the stones. What is there about a wall that makes you want to look over it?



We ended up at the foot of the castle . With hindsight probably we wouldn’t have bothered to visit it as although it had good views over the bay there was little to excite us inside.



Our last visit of the day was to Volterra a hilltown set on a volcanic plug of rock high above the Tuscan valley. Conifers and cypress trees dotted the landscape in the valley below. Parking is good in Volterra and many people go just to sit in the square admiring the view across the valley. The town itself is interesting with the usual civic buildings, interesting medieval alleyways and streets, its shops, cafes and churches. Why is it that in most Italian towns there is such a diverse mix of beautiful architecture in the old quarters? With a soul you are never far away from beauty in this country.



It was with some sadness that we drove home savouring our last moments before arriving home, packing our bags in readiness for our flight home

---