Italy 2023
07/30/23 Ovada
Combining our love for travel and the passion to explore the world as much as possible, my husband and I retired from our jobs. Packed our bags to spend some time traveling throughout the world to immerse into new cultures and discover the unexpected.
Ovada viewed from the West of the town center.
We arrived to our first destination, the town of Ovada, Italy.
Ovada (Uà and Guà in Ligurian, Ovà in Piedmontese) is a commune (municipality) of 11,484 inhabitants in the Province of Alessandria in the northern Italian region Piedmont, located about 90 kilometers (56 mi) southeast of Turin and about 30 kilometers (19 mi) south of Alessandria.
Ovada under the full moon.
In our second day we visited the beach of Arenzano. The beaches are very clean, and the water was amazing, with plenty of space and good snack bars with excellent food and drinks.
Beachside restaurant in Arenzano.
The third day we visited the city of Turin. Turin, Turino in Italian, is the capital city of the Piedmont region in northern Italy. This city of 800 thousand is known for its refined architecture and cuisine. The Alps rise to the northwest of the city. Stately baroque buildings and old cafes line Turin's boulevards and grand squares such as Piazza Castello and il Mercado Centrale Torino.
Market Square in Turin.
08/2/23
Percorso Verde di Rocca Grimalda - Hiking Trail.
We stopped at the center of Ovada and visited the local fruit market to prepare hit the hiking trail.
Yes, a visit to the local open market is different from a trip to a grocery store as the produce is at the peak of freshness. An additional bonus is meeting all the local folks.
It has been four days since we have eaten a full meal, the local people eat a lot of tapas, we have lost some weight in four days. Well, this is part of the experience of leaving our comfort zone. We love it!
Rocca Grimalda
We drove to the little town of Rocca Grimalda to get to the trail. The streets were very narrow, we felt that our car was going to get hit and end up in a body shop. But, going slow and carefully navigating between the homes was hair-raisingly possible.
In the surroundings of this amazing trail at Rocca Grimalda you will find private homes with winery hills, gardens, and live stock. There are also mountain bike trails spectacular views.
Lastly, we stopped by a local bar on the way back to from the hike to have a cold beer and noticed that the whole town gathered to play cards in the afternoon and talk instead of being on the smart phones. These people are actually interacting with one another - Woaooo.!
Life's Coming in Slow' here...
Hiking the Rocca GrimaldaTrail
08/03/23
Today’s adventure: Damanhur (pronounced Da-Ma-Nur) Spiritual Community. An amazing journey into the underground temples that took 9 hours!
The Temples of Humankind, are located in the foothills of the Alps mountains in Northern Italy, are a group of underground temples built starting in 1978. No photos are allowed in the underground portion of this amazing place; however, the pictures below are from the gardens.
The outdoor Ceremonial Temple located nearby the underground temples.
Every aspect of the temples has a meaning. Every Hall, as they are referred to, has its specific resonance and its own sound. ”The Temples of Humankind symbolically represent the inner rooms inside every human being. Walking through its halls and corridors corresponds to a profound journey inside oneself."
One of the many cultural statues within the gardens.
The underground temples were hand craved from the rock and decorated with paintings and sculptures the rival those of ancient Egypt. The landscape above is designed with numerous labrynth pathways and meditation spots.
Per our findings in the internet "They arise in the place where the Eurasian continental plate meets the African plate, pushing up a mineral 300 million years old: it is mylonite, a rock that carries the physical energy of the earth."
We couldn’t take photos inside; however, we got to experience the energy of each temple of this unique place.
It is a magical place and a wonderful gift to humanity to awaken to our highest potential!!!
Please see below link for more details regarding this amazing place in planet earth.
08/05/23 - Pisa, Pisa-Leaning Tower
Today we visited Pisa. So far it was one of the most crowded places we have seen on this trip. We now understand why so many tourists around the world want to see the tower in person every year - it is truly an amzing sight. All these tourists were taking photos to create an optical ilusion of supporting the leaning tower and hundreds were waiting in line to tour the tower.
The Leaning Tower and Basilica
Pisa is a city in Italy's Tuscany region best known for the iconic Leaning Tower. Already tilting, due to a poor foundation, when it was completed in 1372, the 56m (189 ft) tall white-marble cylinder is the bell tower in the Romanesque style architecture.
This area is the bordered by the Massa-Carrara mountains. Its Italy’s most marble-rich area, also known as the Apuan Alps the abundance of white stone blocks being dug from the mountains is surreal. Driving past the quarries and factories processing and seeing the massive stone blocks is an experience it itself.
The Massa-Carrara mountains
In Pisa, we strolled around the town looking for a place to eat and ended up a few blocks from the Pisa tower having lunch in a local cafeteria, one room with a few chairs and tables, for fifteen euros. The food, pasta and salad, was delicious.
Portofino
After visiting the leaning Pisa Tower, we drove one hour and thirty minutes North to explore the beautiful fishing village of Portofino. Portofino is located on the Italian Riviera.
A little harbor South of Portofino on the Italian Riviera
Portofino used to be a small fishing village and it feels a bit in its air despite the tourism that invades it, especially in July and August of each year. Its name derives from Portus Delphini, after the dolphins that are often found on its shores. It was crowded.
Its size is ideal to cover it in a single day of walking, but an early start is recommended to avoid the crowds.
08/06/23
Parco Capanne di Marcarolo Natural Park
We drove to Parco Capanne di Marcarolo which has several hiking trails. The park is located a few kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, and only 25 minutes from Ovada.
Capanne di Marcarolo Natural Park is the oldest protected area in the region of Piedmont in the Apennines mountains of Italy.
The view looking Southwest from Parco Capanne di Marcarolo
The park is so beautiful and evocative the air was very refreshing with a lot of butterflies, birds and beautiful wild flowers. Within the park, there are several important historical monuments.
The view looking Northwest from a descending trail
The Park trails have several different points of entry and the trails are marked with blazes, painted rocks, to guide hikers. Per our findings the best time to visit the park is during the spring and autumn when the weather is relatively mild.
A couple of the locals in discussion
On our way back from the mountains we stopped to have a wine and lunch at Campo Ligure, a small town, in central Liguria (north-west Italy) in the hills to the north-west of Genoa and close to the border with the Piedmont region.
A naturalistic itinerary of great value!!!