Turquoise Stones in the Genoese Hills: A Weekend in Crevari - Part I

When the holidays draw near, it is easy to be caught by doubt: sea or mountains? Maybe the countryside? But who said you have to choose? This time, having opted for an unusual itinerary, we managed to find a perfect holiday destination that will let us enjoy the sea together with the emotions that only walks in the hills can give, all of it immersed in a real farm, a byword for family hospitality and genuine food. This fantastic place is in Crevari, a historic village in the far west of Genoa, which we reach after about an hour and a half on the motorway from Milan. Gallery after gallery you arrive directly at Voltri, the first stop of our trip, once inhabited by the Ligurian tribe of the Veituri, from which the place name derives.

Voltri, which gave birth to figures such as Goffredo Mameli and the seventeenth-century painter Orazio De Ferrari, became a city by Royal Decree in 1903 and has been part of Genoa since 1926. Before reaching our destination, the Agriturismo Pietre Turchine in Crevari, set up in the hills, we take a walk along the seafront, watching how snow-white gulls and majestic cormorants guard the rocks waiting for the tastiest fish. The walk that links Voltri and the coastal stretch of Crevari is wonderfully panoramic: in good weather your gaze can range along the coast as far as Capo Noli and beyond, making you perceive with the naked eye that Voltri lies at the northernmost point of the Western Mediterranean.

After a stroll along the seafront, we head for the old town, where we visit the church of Santi Nicolò ed Erasmo, built in the seventeenth century on the site of a thirteenth-century oratory. The warm colours of its bell tower, in harmony with the typically Ligurian houses around it, are very similar to those of the bell tower of the nearby church of Sant'Ambrogio. That there was a chapel in the area is documented as far back as the 4th century. The church was later rebuilt and enlarged several times, as a commemorative fresco of 1266 also records. Walking through the alleys of the old village, we discover the splendid Villa Brignole Sale Duchessa di Galliera. Its park, extending over fully thirty-two hectares, is a marvellous green oasis that attracts many visitors throughout the year.

Along with the beautiful plants of the garden, the park's main attraction are the fallow deer: around their enclosure it is always easy to spot groups of curious children. Nearby we visit the convent of San Francesco, now disused, and the sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie, also dedicated to San Nicolò, at the top of the hill, probably built in 343. Moving west, we reach Borgo Cerusa, the area of the town's ancient western gate, today surmounted by the city's oldest coat of arms, and visit the church of Santa Limbania, dating from the thirteenth century and home to the Confraternity of the Turchini. A few steps from here there are still several paper mills, an industry that flourished in Voltri since the Middle Ages. It is said that at one time the Queen of England signed all her official documents on the excellent paper produced in Voltri.

To reach the Agriturismo Pietre Turchine, we get back in the car and take via delle Fabbriche, the paper-mill road along the stream. After about five hundred metres we turn left onto via della Brigna and from there follow the signs for the farmhouse, driving along an asphalted road, narrow but at times steep and winding yet with a suggestive charm, that cuts through the woods for about four kilometres. Once we arrive, we leave the car in the farmhouse's large car park, and as soon as we get out, the wonderful view that opens up among the flowers of the courtyard and the warm welcome from the owners immediately repay us for the small effort. We settle into the dépendance a few metres from the farmhouse, occupying one of the two perfectly furnished apartments, complete with a kitchen, while in the main building there are two cosy double rooms, furnished with period furniture.

To rest for a moment, we sit on the terrace in the shade of the kiwi pergola and, as we sip something cool, we chat with Signora Ada and Signor Domenico, who since the start of this year have been running the property with great enthusiasm and passion. Listening to them, we immediately feel as though we have been welcomed into a family, and we find ourselves planning together the excursions we will tackle over the weekend. The first “trip” awaiting us, though, is the one to discover the farm. To the delight of children young and old, we soon realise that here we humans are the minority, and we like this and find it very amusing. To begin with, we make the acquaintance of plenty of lovely hens, geese, guinea fowl and turkeys, all free to roam within their large enclosure. A little higher up we also spot two friendly pigs, but there are rabbits living on the farm too.

After a few steps we are joined by the splendid goat Bianca, who can even give as much as five litres of milk a day, along with her sheep friend. “Bianca is fabulous, she even gives us a hand sorting out the other animals. A few days ago, one evening, all the hens and geese had escaped. When Bianca saw what had happened, she steered the runaways towards the door, and within a few minutes she had brought them back into their enclosure. It was lovely to watch them all follow her,” Signor Domenico recounts, amused. Smiling along with us are also Armando, Casper and Lilli, three very gentle cattle that graze freely on the meadows and, as they savour the best tufts of grass, admire a breathtaking view over Genoa that would make a luxury resort envious.