Ortonovo

-

 

Ortonovo is a perched village with a view that sweeps over the Luni valley and surrounding hills, all dotted with vineyards and olive groves. In the background are the villages nearby, extensive plain, Magra river and sea.



The origins of Ortonovo date back to the 11th to 12th centuries. The area was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Luni. It has changed a few times since 1333 and finally went under Genoa in 1495. The ancient town was protected by defensive walls and a castle. Today, the only remaining part of the castle is the Torre Guinigi (the Guinigi Tower), an imposing 33 metre high structure. It becomes the campanile of the church of St. Lawrence (17th century). The photo below lets you have an idea of how the old castle looked like.



Strolling around we saw some paintings of the village. Affection felt. The villagers love and respect their origins. To let the tourists know more about the places, signages / notices are here and there to deepen the understanding and impressions.

Ortonovo may be derived from the Latin “hortus novus” revealing that the hill was also farmed. It aligns with the exhibits in the Museo Etnografico located in an ancient mill, which more than 300 agricultural artefacts are on display. At time of writing, a “Farmer Festival” is conducted in the village. Participants / visitors can walk through the village and taste typical dishes.


The 16th century Sanctuary of the Madonna del Mirteto is located outside of the historical centre of Ortonovo. This Sanctuary is a white marble shrine, commemorating a 1537 miracle when a painting of the Madonna at the Crucifixion began to shed tears of blood. The resulting crush of pilgrims quickly overwhelmed an earlier oratory. So, in 1540 the Confraternity of Disciplinati began construction of a larger church. 



The building has been reconstructed in various ways since then. One striking addition inside is an octagonal 'tempietto', a kind of holy gazebo added to the interior in 1796. This addition and the rest of the church display lots of precious marble stonework. A small village afforded a nice and ornamental sanctuary. One can imagine how the locals valued it and contributed a lot to make it splendid. An added bonus there are gorgeous views on Ortonovo and the surroundings from the sanctuary. Two of the beautiful villages are Nicola and  Castelnuovo Magra.



Nicola Village

Perched in a panoramic position, the village of Nicola dominates the Magra Valley. The castle with the pentagonal tower dominates the valley. The village looks cute and sweet.

Nicola Village

The medieval tower of what was once the Castello dei Vescovi dominates Castelnuovo Magra, a beautiful town about 200 meters above sea level. It is like a lighthouse on the green sea of Vermentino vineyards.

Castelnuovo Magra

Last but not the least are the beautiful views of the Apuan Alps when we drove down from Ortonovo.








Location: 19034 Ortonovo, SP, Italy

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kbal Spean

-
Image
Kbal Spean is a unique archaeological site situated 50km from the Siem Reap.   Religious stone cravings sit on the river banks and bed, 150m stretch of the Stung Kbal Spean River.     Kbal Spean is commonly known as the "Valley of a 1000 Lingas " or "The River of a Thousand Lingas". Lingas are phallic representations sacred to Brahmanism.   It is a symbol of fertility.   Hundreds of them are carved into the rock of the river.   Other carvings include gods such as Vishnu , Shiva , Brahma and animals. To appreciate the beautiful carvings in the nature, one has to climb a trek for around 30 minutes.   Exhausted but worthwhile. Reclining Vishnu is often the theme of carvings.   Others include Shiva and Uma mounted on the bull, Brahma on a lotus petal and still others which I can't figure out exactly. Animals, lingas, yoni dot here and there.            Downdream ...
Read more

Hong Kong Heritage Museum - The Hakkas and Fishing Origin

-
Image
15 June 2012 HK Heritage Museum - Hakka Women It has been more than 10 years that I haven't been to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum .  Today, a Picasso exhibition brought me back.  Hmm, a Spanish artist associating with the Chinese heritage.  It's a special event of the French May .  It drew a lot of people to the museum, though a bit remote.  People, family speaking different languages crowded at the venue.  Picasso 's paintings shown were across his different periods.  Many photos of him and friends were also shown. Hong Kong Heritage Museum is unique in providing the history of Hong Kong, featuring Hakka (Guest family) migration, as a fishing village, the traditional Cantonese opera as the integral parts of Hong Kong's heritage, history and culture. During the reign of Yongzheng and Qianlong of Qing Dynasty (18th century), people were encouraged to utilise wasteland for farming.  A big demographic shift of residen...
Read more

Marshal Zen Garden Beitou 北投少帥禪園

-
Image
Marshal Zen Garden was built during the Japanese-colonised period of the 1920's.  It was renowned for the hot spring and was used as the entertainment hub of the Japanese pilots during the end of the World War II. In the 1960's, it was used to confine Marshal Chang Xue-liang and his wife Zhao Di. We checked in in our hotel Double Inn and was driven there.  The environment is very soothing with a lot of green, flowers and typical Japanese set up. We first enjoyed our afternoon tea after travelling straight from Alishan to Chiayi to Taipei. You can visit the Zen Garden if you hold a booking of  the tour, hot spring or restaurant. It was very nice to enjoy the afternoon in its tea house  小六茶舖. It's cosy and the food was superb, good value for the money. NTD900 for two. Marshal Chang and his wife were detained at the Zen Garden for decades.  Though it was years ago, the exhibition of his room, photos and his life made me feel...
Read more