Today we are in the Neva valley to walk the path called "di Ilaria".
Ilaria del Carretto, originally from Zuccarello, married Paolo Guinigi, Lord of Lucca.
of Lucca. The muse of many poets, Ilaria is known to most for the funeral monument
erected in the cathedral of Lucca by Jacopo della Quercia, one of the most beautiful sculptures of the Renaissance.
sculptures of the Renaissance. Carolina is with us again today!
Coming from Albenga, we park just outside the town, near the school.
school. At the entrance to the ancient village, on our left, we greet the bronze statue of Ilaria.
bronze statue of Ilaria.
We go through Porta Sottana and we walk along the main street, characterized by a
of porticoes on both sides.
Near the post office, on our left, we are enraptured by the roar of the waters and we go along via al Ponte.
We walk along via al Ponte; obviously Carolina wants to see the river!
The characteristic bridge over the Nava river, dating back to the late Middle Ages, is the main
the main attraction of the village. We cross it only because on the opposite bank
opposite bank two nice little wooden men, Pino and Olmo, kidnap the girl's attention.
girl's attention. We say goodbye to them and continue on our way.
Just before the end of the arcades, we take via Castello on our right,
which climbs up towards the hills. It soon turns into a cobbled street and the
signs for the "Sentiero Ilaria" begin to appear.
As we gradually climb, the panoramic view of Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbarossa opens up before us.
Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena Behind us we can see the roofs of the village of Zuccarello.
Zuccarello, the tower of the parish church dedicated to St Bartholomew the Apostle is clearly visible.
Apostle.
Once arrived at the top, we go along a slight slope and a street on the right leads us to what remains of the
remains of the castle of the Marquises Clavesana-Del Carretto, birthplace of Ilaria.
birthplace of Ilaria.
A descriptive panel narrates the history of the fortification (dating back to 1233) which
which, together with the surrounding forts of Conscente (in the first issue of our magazine) and
(on the first issue of our magazine) and Castelvecchio, the important defence and control system over the Val
Neva valley. We go back to the previous crossroads, imagining with Carolina
how Ilaria could wear princess dresses without dirtying them by passing in the dirt road.
dirt road. We continue towards our left on asphalt following a classic "T
red". Shortly after the signal, we return to the dirt road, flanking many terraced olive groves.
terraces cultivated with olive groves to arrive near the pretty chapel of San Giuseppe.
San Giuseppe chapel. From here we can see, towards the sea, the castle we visited earlier, while to the
and, to the west, the peak of Monte Galero.
We continue straight ahead and quickly arrive at Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena.
We wander through the suggestive alleyways, including the central Via Roma, to end the route at the foot of the castle.
the route at the foot of the castle. On a bench some elderly people of the place urge us to continue
urge us to continue northwards to see the sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie
Madonna delle Grazie, which overlooks the village, but Carolina, aiming for a snack break, has reached her maximum limit!
maximum! We take the same route as we did on the way up to get the car back.
(Carolina with Pino and Olmo)