Tom`s travels: Pigna & Castel Vittorio (16/04/2022)

After heading back to Italy for the Easter holidays, we left Vicenza, my dad, mom, brother, and I, to go for a few days in Liguria. Once we reached Pio's house in Riva Ligure, our first trip the next day was to visit a couple of towns in the mountainous area above Ventimiglia. The drive took just over one hour and we reached the first town, Pigna, parking just next to the main road. Located in the upper Nervia valley the town is set on a hilltop overlooking the river which gives its name to the valley. Once we got off the car we started exploring the old town, heading uphill in a circular fashion through the narrow dark alleyways typical of Liguria known as carruggi. The core of the town is a maze of narrow streets and passages under vaults, representing an extraordinary monument of medieval architecture that has remained unchanged over time. It was really nice to walk through and we noticed the stark contrast between walking in the sunny parts of the streets where it felt really warm, and the shaded parts of the alleyways and vaulted sections where it got really cold. The weather though was perfect, despite being close to the mountains, the town is not so high in altitude, reaching 280 meters above sea level, and for mid-April felt so hot we were wearing just short sleeves. We then reached the main square in town, located on the highest point from where we had a great view of the surrounding mountainous landscape and the town of Castel Vittorio which we would visit later. Near the square, we then walked under the medieval loggia which was damaged during WWII and had to be rebuilt after. We then reached and visited the church of San Michele, the main one in town, first built in 1272, and then enlarged in 1450 and thus featuring a mostly Gothic aspect. Inside was a beautiful polyptych towering above the main altar dated 1500 which featured countless colorful figures of saints emerging from the gilded surface. Next to the church was the nice baroque Oratorio di Sant'Antonio Abate which was unfortunately closed. From there we then decided to head back down through the maze of streets and reach the car which we then took and drove up to reach the town of Castel Vittorio perched on a nearby hilltop. We found parking along the road and then walked through the old town circling up in a spiral around the hill. We first reached the main square where an old man living in town started to talk to us asking where we were from and giving us a detailed explanation of the town's history and main sights. He told us that the advantage of the towns in this area, was, compared to those close to the sea, that they remained poor until quite recently and thus were spared from modern constructions. He told us the square was created around the 18th century when the town expanded and now serves as the divider between what was once the fortified medieval core on the highest point of the hill and the rest of the town which was built after the 18th century around it. After thanking the kind man we then strolled around the narrow alleyways of the medieval core and reached the top where the church of Santo Stefano was located. Rebuilt in a baroque style in 1764 it featured a tall and slender detached bell tower also from the same period. After strolling about and admiring the wonderful view we sometimes caught between the buildings of the surrounding landscape and the town of Pigna below, we then reached once again the car. From there we drove down the Nervia valley eventually reaching the town of Isolabona where we decided to stop for lunch at a restaurant called U Cian. The place was really nice with a large garden and outside seating but was quite full with mostly people from the nearby Principality of Monaco and also France. We managed to get a table and enjoyed a nice meal. As we were finishing eating though, my brother and I got into a heavy discussion and ended up fighting. At that point the whole family was angry and so we decided to leave. On the way, we stopped in Dolceacqua, which I had seen before, and the other three went around to visit while I waited near the car. After they had done their round of the town we got back in the car and eventually drove back to Riva Ligure where I decided to take my first swim of the year. The water was still quite cold but the temperature outside was really pleasant and I stayed barechested without feeling cold at all.