The Italian Riviera: the Cinque Terre, May 2018

The harbor of Vernazza

After Lucca, we went on to visit the 5 fishing villages of the "Cinque Terre" on the Italian Riviera. These little towns still have some fishermen based in town, but now most of the money comes from tourism. The 5 villages are isolated from each other geographically by cliffs and hills, but there are boat and train connections from village to village. They are technically part of Liguria (main city: Genoa).

At the top of the pic:
Belforte Tower in the Doria castle atop Vernazza

You can left-click on each picture to see it in a larger version.



We had great food (pesto and fresh fish) and wine and did short day trips to the other villages. Our apartment was on the main square on the harbor in Vernazza. We could hear the waves of the Mediterranean lapping at the shore. Anchovies are available fresh from the Mediterranean and they are prepared in so many ways to provide a very different experience than anything we were familiar with in the US!

A view of the Vernazza harbor. Our apartment was in the house
that is one window wide to the left of the light pink house

Anchovies done right - the local anchovy "pie"

The weather was sunny but not too hot, because there was always a breeze from the Mediterranean.







Each town of a few hundred natives is separated from the rest by high hills and cliffs. During the afternoon, Richard took hikes in the hills above the towns where there are little isolated chapels called sanctuaries.

Reggio Sanctuary from the trail

The one above Vernazza is called the Reggio Sanctuary. It is know for a portrait of the Virgin Mary  called the Black Madonna, presumably because her garment appears to be black. The church was built in the eleventh century on the ruins of an ancient religious structure. The current building is plain on the outside, but inside it is beautifully decorated. The area around the church is peaceful, and the trees offer plenty of shade after a challenging hike up the hill.

Inside Reggio Santuary

A side street in Vernazza

Coastal hillside with terraced vineyards

view from Winexperience

Kathy usually stayed around our little apartment that had a view of the harbor and piazza in Vernazza or wandered up and down the only street of the town shopping for groceries or good restaurants. One evening, we went to a balcony overlooking the sea, where a wine-tasting establishment called Winexperience serves some incredible Italian wines (and only Italian wines). The most unusual red wine smelled wonderfully like leather (and Richard detected a hint of saw dust). It tasted great, but he didn't want to drink it all because it smelled so good.
After several whites and reds, we finished with a desert wine called Sciacchetrà, which is made from grapes that are only grown in the Cinque Terre. It was so good that we later found a bottle in town to buy as a souvenir. It is sometimes served with little biscottis called bucellato.
The sommelier, Alessandro, spent time with us explaining each wine, and his enthusiasm was infectious.









On other afternoons, we took the train or the boat to the other little towns, which were all just as crowded, but each one had their own charm with either more of a beach-and-hotel scene (Monterosso), or a much smaller harbor so that the fishing boats were sitting on part of the town square about 20 feet above the water, having been hauled up there by a crane, as in Manarola!

vineyards surrounding Corniglia

Richard went to another sanctuary one afternoon, this one called Santuario della Madonna delle Grazie (the sanctuary of our lady of graces), and located above Corniglia. The view of town from the path up to the church was beautiful. Corniglia is the only one of the five villages without a harbor. In fact, the town sits on above the cliffs with no river valley leading down to the sea. But the town is a colorful patch in a landscape of vineyards. And the town itself is very charming. It is the smallest of the five villages, and the streets and sidewalks are correspondingly narrow.

In Corniglia

Corniglia from a distance

Monterosso from the sea.

We took a boat  to Monterosso, where the harbor is in the new town. This part of town gives Monterosso a slicker atmosphere. This is the largest of the five villages, and it is where you will find hotels, for example, something hard to come by elsewhere in Cinque Terre.  Here is where we found the Oratorio della Confraternita dei Neri Mortis et Orationis, which is roughly translated as the Oratorio (chapel) of the Brotherhood of the Black Death and Prayer. It's not really a church, but rather a chapel and meeting place for an organization that cared for the families of the fishermen who died at sea. Skeletons were everywhere to be seen.
It was also interesting to watch the workers performing the careful restoration of the frescoes as they applied a fine layer of what looked like cheesecloth and plaster to the walls.

Oratorio della Confraternita
dei Neri Mortis et Orationis

Examples of many skeletons in the Oratorio

Old town of Monterosso

 The old part of town is where you find the rustic charm of the Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore has the most rustic harbor of the villages. It seemed to us to be more a pile of rocks than a harbor, and there is no beach. But it fits in wonderfully with the shear cliffs surrounding it.

There is a footpath from the harbor of Riomaggiore through a tunnel to the train station and then farther to Manarola. The path between towns is called the Via d'Amore (Lover's Lane) due to the beautiful views.

 Manarola seems to have a little more room than the other villages. Near the harbor there is a small town square (Piazza Capellini) with a mosaic of the local fish and birds. Higher up in the town in front of the Chiesa di San Lorenzo (Church of Saint Lawerence) is another small square with the bell tower overlooking town.

During the summer season, the villages are populated by a few hundred natives, who in the course of the last couple decades have shared their towns with thousands of tourists daily(!) in a continual stream from May to October. It's like Lake George on July 4th all season long! We don't know how they put up with the constant crowds. We saw some of them on the harbor-front square in front of our apartment in the early daylight hours having coffee and chatting outside the small bar across the plaza. We were glad to have an apartment to retreat to during the most crowded hours when we weren't visiting the other towns ourselves or retreating to the hills.

Lucca, Italy, for fun and profit

Richard attended a technical conference in Lucca, Italy, for work from May 13th through the 19th this year 2018. He gave a presentation and published a paper.

Richard giving his presentation

Conference participants in the courtyard

The conference was held at the Real Collegio, a renovated cloister attached to the S. Frediano church. (see bell tower outside of courtyard in the photo.) The old monastery was extensively modified during the 17th century with the addition of two main cloisters. In 1779 the Republic of Lucca decided to use the building as a “university institute”, and Pope Pius VI disposed the S. Frediano community patrimony for the construction of the new institute. In the 19th century, the institute received the name of “Real Collegio Carlo Lodovico” from Charles Louis of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Lucca, and it remained an educational institution until 1939.

During the evening on Monday of the conference, a performance was given by sbandieratore or bandieraio. These modern-day flag throwers have their origins in the military flag-bearers of past centuries who led troops into battle.  The flag throwers had to transfer orders from the leaders to the troops.  It was imperative that they not let their flag fall into enemy hands, because this could lead to confusion and defeat. In order to save the flag, they perfected the long, high throw.

I suspected that there was a military connection already as soon as I heard the accompanying drummers. Just the two large drums alone were terribly loud, and when the dozen or so drums were added, it was as deafening as the loudest rock concert. I was reminded immediately of bag pipes, which also have a military connection.

On Wednesday of the conference participants were treated to supper at the Palazzo Pfanner.

Palazzo Pfanner

Statues and fountain in the garden

Main hall of the Palazzo

 The Palazzo as it now with its monumental main stair case was constructed by the Controni family, who bought the Palazzo in 1680.We started with champagne and appetizers in the baroque garden, and then moved to the main hall for dinner, where there are beautiful frescoes painted around the year 1720. In 1845, the Duke of Lucca, Carlo Lodovico di Borbone hired for himself and for the townspeople “a German brewer”. In 1846, Felix Pfanner, a Bavarian brewer, rented the garden and the cellars of the Palazzo from the Controni family in order to become the first beer manufacturer of the Duchy of Lucca and one of the first in Italy. Eventually, Pfanner was able to buy the whole Palazzo from the proceeds, and the Palazzo became the official headquarters of the Pfanner Brewery. The brewery  closed in 1929, but the Palazzo is still the property of the Pfanner family, who lives here.

facade of San Frediano

After walking by the basilica of San Frediano every day on the way to and from the conference, it was time on Friday to take a look inside. The church is famous for the large mosaic on its facade. The church as it is today was consecrated in 1147. A city could only have one baptismal church in the middle ages, but because San Frediano was outside the Roman wall at the time and the cathedral was inside, San Frediano became the second baptismal church of Lucca around the year 1000.

baptismal font in San Frediano

This first thing you notice is a Romanesque baptismal font. It is from around the 12th century, and it depicts the Israelites as knights in armor crossing the Red Sea on horseback. Nope, I don't understand either. Stories of Moses are on the large lower basin, and the small round temple on the lid has the apostles and months of the year.
In a chapel on the left is a fresco of the arrival of the Santo Volto (the Holy Face) in the basilica. The fresco cycle commemorates the legend of Nicodemus' sculpting the figure of Jesus in Lebanon cedar. When he completed all but the face, Nicodemus fell asleep, and woke to find the Holy Face completed by an angel. The wooden sculpture was transported to the basilica in the year 742 from Luni, which was a Byzantine possession that had been sacked by Saracens.

freco of the transport of the Santo Volto

In another chapel is an altar with a Roman sarcophagus containing the body of Saint Richard the Pilgrim, an English “king” (of Wessex). Before you ask, "who cares?", there's a spoiler: he is connected to a saint who is famous in our region of Franken. He died in Lucca in 722 while on pilgrimage to Rome. Miracles were reported to have occurred at his tomb, and a cult venerating him developed. His wife, Winna, was the sister of Saint Boniface, who was the  Archbishop of Mainz and is the patron saint of Germany.

sarcophagus of Richard the Pilgrim

Richard and Winna were the parents of Willibald, Bishop of Eichstätt; Saint Winibald, Abbot of Heidenheim; and Walpurga, Abbess of Heidenheim, which are towns not far from here in Franken. Saint Walpurga became a nun in the double monastery of Heidenheim am Hahnenkamm, which was founded by her other brother, Willibald, who appointed her as his successor. Following his death in 751, she became the abbess. When she died, she was buried at Heidenheim; but in the 870s, Walpurga's remains were transferred to Eichstaett. Her feast day commemorates the transfer of her relics on 1 May. At some point she came to represent the older pagan concept of the Grain Mother. Peasant farmers fashioned her replica in a corn dolly at harvest time and told tales to explain Saint Walpurga's presence in the grain sheaf. Her earliest representation is in the early 11th-century Hitda Codex, made in Cologne, which depicts her holding stylized stalks of grain. The night before her feast day became the Walpurgis Night mentioned in Goethe's novel "Faust" and in Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain" and in Edward Albee's play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". It is celebrated in continental folklore with dancing and bonfires to ward off witches and evil spirits.
Our own area has a Walpurgisnacht celebration on a local hill that is nicknamed after Walpurga. The Ehrenbuerg, a table-topped formation east of Forchheim, just north of Erlangen, is always referred to as the Walberla. A small chapel on the hill top is dedicated to Walpurga. On April 30th, people go up on the Walberla, some dressed as devils or witches, and drink and make bonfires, which they dance around until well after midnight on May 1: Walpurgisnacht. The local legend relates that St. Walpurga converted the local witches to Christianity and in return for their conversion, she promised them that one night per year, they could celebrate as in the pre-Christian days. It's probably not a coincidence that May 1st is an ancient pagan festival in the Celtic countries called Beltane.

The cathedral in Lucca has the Santo Volto, which is an early 13th-century copy stored in its own temple. Perhaps the original was chipped away beyond repair by relic-seeking pilgrims.

Temple with Santo Volto

View of Santo Volto through the screen door

The temple was closed when we were there, but the screen in the door allows a view of the Santo Volto.

Ceiling in the apse of the cathedral

 The rest of the cathedral is very beautiful. The apse has a beautiful fresco. And the floor has a marble inlay depicted the Judgement of Solomon. (The baby is difficult to see, but look closely between Solomon on the throne and the soldier to the left of Solomon.)

Marble inlay showing Judgement of Solomon

The old city center of Lucca has a complete 17th century wall around it, and what remains of the Roman amphitheater is now a circle of houses with restaurants and shops in the ground floor. We stayed in a small B and B near the "Anfiteatro" with a couple of Richard's colleagues whose wives also visited them. The B and B was nicely decorated with murals from the Age of Chivalry.

Room at Corte dei Nobili

The Anfiteatro was, of course built in the ruins of a Roman amphitheater. In the middle ages, houses and restaurants were built inside up against the ancient walls and the floor of the arena was retained as the central plaza. We regularly ate breakfast and dinner at restaurants inside the old walls.

We had fun going out to dinner together and getting tips on what to look for when exploring. One great tip was a great book store with a stained glass ceiling and pillars inside that also included a café. Of course there were dozens of old Romanesque churches and plazas. While we were there, there was an antique car meet and parade involving lots of people wearing matching costumes riding around in their open-topped early-20th-century roadsters, having fun.