Our journey through the interior of Eastern Liguria begins at Busalla, where we leave the A7 Motorway to take the State Road n.
226 of Scrivia Valley.
We will pass through the Scrivia and Fontanabuona Valleys, from Busalla to Carasco.
This is inland of Genoa and Tigullio Gulf, formerly dominated by the Genoan Fieschi family, who left in this area palaces and castles testifying still now to its ancient political and military power.
At Carasco we will take the local road n.
586, ascending the Sturla Valley and then we will go along the Upper Vara Valley, to the village of Varese Ligure, a small gem in this pristine green valley, in the province of La Spezia.
From Varese Ligure, you have the choice of continuing to explore the interior ascending to the Cento Croci pass, at the border with Emilia, or going down to the coast along the road n.
523 to the resort of Sestri Levante.
Savignone and Casella Savignone and Casella are the first villages we see after leaving Busalla.
Savignone is located in the Scrivia Valley, 29 km from Genoa, on a hill at an altitude of 471 m.
The village was inhabited from very ancient times (remains date back to V - IV century B.
C.
).
It came under the domain of the Fieschi family at the end of the XIII century.
The Fieschi built a powerful castle for the defence of the village and in the second half of XVI century a residential palace which has been now transformed in a charming hotel.
Savignone had its golden age between the end of XIX and the beginning of XX century, when the wealth Genoan bourgeoisie established their holiday homes there: many of them are interesting examples of liberty architecture.
Nowadays, Savignone is predominately a residential site, where people can find a pleasant place with a good climate where to live close to nature and where the houses (may be even a small liberty villa) have affordable prices.
Casella, similar to Savignone, had its tourist develop during 1800's, when many rich Genoans chose it as a holiday resort.
In that period, the Casella square was a summer extension of the elegant Genoan life.
In 1929 a narrow gauge railway (it is still working) was built to connect Casella to Genoa.
The railway crosses the Orero hill offering the view of a wonderful scenery.
The Fontanabuona Valley We continue to drive on the State Road n 226 along the river Laccio to the village of Montoggio (2,090 inhabitants, 438 m a.
s.
l.
).
Situated at the confluence of the torrents Laccio and Pentema, which give origin to the river Scrivia, surrounded by meadows, beech and chestnut trees and mountains over 1,000 meters (Antola, Liprando, Bano) with a breathtaking view of the Alps and the sea, Montoggio is the central point of the valley.
From there, we follow the river Scrivia to the village of Laccio and to the Scoffera pass (674 m a.
s.
l.
), which gives access to Bisagno Valley.
After the pass, we leave the Bisagna Valley for the tortuous but scenic road which leads to the State Road n.
225 and gives access to Fontanabuona Valley, known for the slate quarries scattered throughout the whole area.
The name (literally "Good Fountain") seems to come from the excellent water springing from the fountain in the square of Favale di Màlvaro, a small village on the left side.
The long quiet valley, which runs parallel to the coast for about 20 km, has a good tourist appeal (Moconesi for example is a popular resort), but in the last years the demand for residential houses is also increasing.
People love to come to live in the small villages along this green valley, not far from the coast, with good services and lower costs.
The village of Gattorna, in the upper valley, is known for the tradition of "poor toys".
The pinwheels and the toys made of cloth or cardboard by the Gattorna toymakers, are featured nowadays by a small museum in the centre of the village.
After Gattorna, we arrive in Cicagna, an important centre in the middle of the valley and a former stop on the ancient salt route ("via del sale").
Nowadays, Cicagna's economy is mainly based on olive and fruit trees cultivation and on slate production: a museum explains the processing of the slate extracted from Fontanabuona quarries).
Then we continue on the state road n.
225 passing thru the many villages on the banks of river Lavagna and in a few minutes we are in Carasco, alively village in the lower valley, at the confluence of three torrents: Lavagna, Sturla and Graveglia.
We are only 6,5 km far from Chiavari, on the coast, and sea scents fill the woods, but here we have to leave the State Road n.
225, which continues to the sea, to go up on the Sturla Valley.
Varese Ligure and the Vara Valley We take the road n.
586 ("della Val d'Aveto"), which follows the river Sturla passing through Mezzanego.
At Borgonovo Ligure,we continue on the road 26bis and begin to climb among the beech to the Bocco Pass (956 m a.
s.
l).
On the pass, admist beautiful scenery, we head towards Varese Ligure, the final destination of our itinerary.
The road descends steeply to VaraValley, the least populated (and the most pristine) territory in La Spezia Province.
The large profussion of organic farms in this territory gave it the appellation Organic Valley.
The village of Varese came into the domain of the Fieschi family in 1161, when they received the feud from the Emperor Fredrick I.
In the XIII century, the Fieschi designed a round hamlet (the famous "Borgo Rotondo") with boths defensive and residential function.
This explains the elliptical shape of the village and the fact that originally the houses had no openings on the external side.
To protect the access to the hamlet, a fortified castle (now privately owned) with an imposing high circular tower was placed on the north side.
Varese Ligure belongs to the Club of Italy Most Beautiful Villages.
It also received the Orange Flag from the Italian Touring Club and it is awarded as the most ecological village in Italy.