As old age approached, writer Mario Soldati looked for a place in the sun where to spend years of rewarding joy. The choice fell on the vineyards of the uttermost Ligurian Riviera di Levante: Corvara, a frazione of Beverino, stands in this landscape of verdant panoramic hills (200 mts. a.s.l.) facing the sea, a stone’s throw from the Cinque Terre, Lerici and Portovenere – its shoulders aptly presided by the Vara valley.
Enter the silence of this fortified borgo, a kaleidoscope of stone, slate and wood, and discover one of the most suggestive architectural setting of Liguria. Portal, arches, stairways and alleys protect the enchantment of huddled houses, your steps resounding like the echo of history. Rural churches, aqueducts and a multitude of traces from the past mark the passage of time and people.
The magic of a stay in Corvara is tranquil yet lively, secluded yet solemn, a mix of past and present, hospitality and tradition, trails and excursions traversing the area and disclosing its many charms – e.g. a visit to the santuario di Soviore, high on the sea. Plan a schedule of your own, play the lead role in a screenplay of activity and relaxation: walk, trek, cycle, ride your horse, get into canoeing and enjoy mother nature’s gift, magnificent habitats that men have treasured through time. Forests, borghi, folklore and cuisine du terroir: the area boasts excellent vegetables, potatoes, chestnuts, salumi, cheese (cattle-breeding still follows the rules of tradition) and honey (do not miss the delightful museo devoted to honey in Calice al Cornoviglio). Last but not least comes wine, the gold in the glass (Sciacchetrà, Albarola, Vermentino) that tells the heroic struggle of vertical vineyards along the hill flanks.
Definitely, a thing of beauty is a joy forever.