Unspoiled Italy: The calming quiet of Framura
By Mariella Radaelli
A constellation of little hamlets comprise the commune of Framura, an atmospheric, somnolent village perched on a rocky outcrop rising from the Ligurian Sea. Though the authentic beauty in La Spezia province is just a 15 minute-train trip from Monterosso and the Cinque Terre, Framura is actually the “anti-Five Lands” that might not even crop up in your average guidebook.
This little slice of coast and its hamlets of Anzo, Ravecca, Setta, Costa and Castagnola have no real nightlife and shows no sign of developing into a major tourist destination. Its ancient features and social fabric are unaltered.
A constellation of little hamlets comprise the commune of Framura, an atmospheric, somnolent village perched on a rocky outcrop rising from the Ligurian Sea. Though the authentic beauty in La Spezia province is just a 15 minute-train trip from Monterosso and the Cinque Terre, Framura is actually the “anti-Five Lands” that might not even crop up in your average guidebook.
This little slice of coast and its hamlets of Anzo, Ravecca, Setta, Costa and Castagnola have no real nightlife and shows no sign of developing into a major tourist destination. Its ancient features and social fabric are unaltered.
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| No real nightlife and no sign of developing into a major tourist destination. |
We found Framura’s special atmosphere was ideal for recharging our batteries through the flow and the rhythm of natural time.
Atop the hamlet of Costa on Monte Serro sits an imposing torre di guardia. The Carolingian tower overlooks the village with stunning views of the plains below: the porticciolo (small harbor), the marina and the sea. The symbol of Framura, the ancient watchtower dates back to around AD 1000 and was primarily a lookout against Saracens and Barbary Pirate raids from North Africa, especially from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The other hamlets of Framura have Genoese towers that together represent a considerable heritage.
From Costa, a road twists and turns its way down the mountainside towards the shimmering sea below, but before leaving, we visit the medieval church of San Martino De Muris, home to the Madonna of the Rosary with Saints Dominic and Charles by baroque painter Bernardo Strozzi. “The Italian master lived in Framura for a while,” says Andrea Lircari, a local historian who wrote the book “Framura, un’antica terra tra il mare e i monti”.
The rest of this story published on Aug.4 in the print and online editions of the national L'Italo-Americano newspaper based in Monrovia, California is available here (pdf).
Atop the hamlet of Costa on Monte Serro sits an imposing torre di guardia. The Carolingian tower overlooks the village with stunning views of the plains below: the porticciolo (small harbor), the marina and the sea. The symbol of Framura, the ancient watchtower dates back to around AD 1000 and was primarily a lookout against Saracens and Barbary Pirate raids from North Africa, especially from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The other hamlets of Framura have Genoese towers that together represent a considerable heritage.
From Costa, a road twists and turns its way down the mountainside towards the shimmering sea below, but before leaving, we visit the medieval church of San Martino De Muris, home to the Madonna of the Rosary with Saints Dominic and Charles by baroque painter Bernardo Strozzi. “The Italian master lived in Framura for a while,” says Andrea Lircari, a local historian who wrote the book “Framura, un’antica terra tra il mare e i monti”.
The rest of this story published on Aug.4 in the print and online editions of the national L'Italo-Americano newspaper based in Monrovia, California is available here (pdf).
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