Around 700 metres above Barga is the village of Sommocolonia. Walking around looking for possible view to sketch I came across these two striking cyprus trees in front of a group of buildings. The sky became dark and the heavens opened but at the same time the sun came out creating interesting shadows cast from the two trees.
The
old town of Ventimiglia (Ventimiglia Alta) is incredible - with old,
crumbling walls, telephone and electric cables running everywhere,
typical of Italy but a real place, no airs and graces, just a place
where time has stood still, stuck in some kind of time warp. Most of the
steep streets are narrow, with access only by foot. A complete contrast
to affluent Menton in France just 10 minutes away, with its peach
coloured, well-kept buildings.
There are several old watermills dotted around the Barga area. This one is on the road to Sommocolonia. I liked the various outbuildings scattered around the main house.
The hills around Lucca offer wonderful wine and olive trails where you can drive around wine groves and terraces covered in ancient olive trees. The odd cyprus tree adds some vertical interest. The landscape is vastly diferent to the Garfagnana region where Barga is situated.
