The peculiarities of the landscape, with its several pathways crossing uncontaminated woods and forests, its history and the constant care for nature, make this place an ideal location for tourism.
A significant example is represented by Varese Ligure which has obtained the European Certification for Environmental Quality.
Carro is a typical Ligurian unspoiled hilltop medieval borough, with less then 200 permanent residents, mostly natives and friendly.
The place has been “ discovered”
by the Marquis Staglieno in the early nineties of last century .
He had remembered having come here, as
a young boy, with his late father for a wild boar shooting
party and fancied to do some kind of a
sentimental journey in the past. Most of times one is disappointed by
reality versus dreams of the past, but for once it did not work so
and he fell in love with the place, bought and restyled an old house
with a small enwalled garden in order to be able to spend there
several months. Following his example, many friends of his and of his
wife Monica have since been buying and remodeling old buildings,
large or small.
The village is very quiet: there is
only one grocery, one coffe bar, one pizzeria. There are supermarkets
in the valley, three winding miles away. , and also horse riding
opportunities
The landscape is quite wild: walnuts
and oaks are home to all kinds of game , including deer, hare,
fox,wild boar, not to mention a variety of birds. Sometimes in
autumn and spring time sparse fogs among the trees and the lesser
valleys form an eery scenery reminiscent of japanese old prints.
Starting mid July to mid August the
Paganini Festival Of Carro takes place, programming chamber music
concerts performed by first class ensembles.including Uto Ughi, the
violinist, the Berliner ensemble and I quartetti della Scala di
Milano . The Festival was first invented by the Marquess Staglieno
twelve years ago and has now many supporter including the presidency
of the Republic the bank Carige, the Isagro society of chemicals and
the Chamber of Commerce of La Spezia
It also is the high point of social
activity, that is, cocktail and dinner parties in the sophisicated
renovated mansions.
In short,Carro is a wonderful place for
nice and cultivated people to relax, to wander in the woods, to swim
in the occasional natural pools of the Vara river. No noises, no
confusion, except perhaps some barking dog. And, please no
backpackers or the likes.
One might perhaps be interested about
“la Paganina's” name: actually this small townhouse had belonged
to the famous early nineteencentury violinist Nicolò Paganini' s
grand parents, and the
place was in shocking conditions when
the Duke Carlo Canevaro of Zoagli bought it in the late nineties of
last century. A throughout transformation was needed; only the
typical lavagna stairs, so picturesque, have remained as they were:
everything else has been changed following architect :Carlo Jachino's
project. The idea was to make it a gentleman's house, looking warm
and timeless; it did work.
There is a legend about Napoleon having
secretely left isola d' Elba for a couple of days, in order to meet
incognito his sister , the Princess of Lucca who, herself incognito,
had a rendez-vous with her
lover, Nicolò Paganini, in this very
house .
A short list of interesting towns and
cities to visit, if one is interested in art and history: first of
all Genoa whit her princely palaces and extriordinary museums and
then Lucca, Sarzana, Pontremoli,
Portovenere,Lerici, Tellaro. The last
three towns are at sea side and of course one should avoid going
there in foul weather.
Have a jolly good time.
DISTANCES IN KM
- Portofino 40
- Varese Ligure 15
- Vernazza 20
- Porto Venere 30
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