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Somewhere beneath a higher heaven there's a very special place:
In a magical world
Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena
The coastal town of Albenga is located in the region of Liguria in north-western Italy. Take the train from
Genova (about 80 minutes) or from Nice on the French side. When you arrive in Albenga, head for the square
outside the train station and look for a bus with the word "Castelvecchio" written on the front. Before you
arrive in Albenga you should have called someone to get a bus timetable, e.g. to the lonely girl at the tourist office
in Albenga. If you have time (you probably will as there are only a few buses a day), take a short walk
down the main street and get some information from the very helpful, lonely girl at the tourist office.
The bus driver will turn up about one minute before scheduled time, unlock the door, take his seat,
receive L3300 from you and the only other passager on the bus and finally start the engine. We're off!
After a 50 minutes' bus ride taking you up to the green Ligurian moutains, our bus driver opens up the
doors for you to disembark on the mountain road passing through Castelvecchio. On your left hand side there's
a row of houses along the road; behind them there are some small fields with animals (which you can't see
if you're still standing on the main road). In front of you the road goes on, turns right, continues
straight ahead above the village and further on up the mountain. When you have looked in these two directions
long enough, you decide that it's about time to find out what's on your right side. So you turn your head
90° (or pi/2 radians) to the right (or 270° to the left). And what do you see?
Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena is a medieval mountain village built around an old castle on a rock on
the Barbena Mountain. On your walk towards the castle, Castello, you pass old stone houses, older stone houses,
non-stone houses, two hidden restaurants, howling dogs, a tiny post office, narrow alleys, steep hills,
an old church, tunnels, flowery buildings and lots of other beautiful elements which all help building up
the unique atmosphere. Sorry I'm starting to sound like a package tour advertising brochure, but in this case
it's not just clichés; it is really true.
I stayed at the Casa Cambi, which is just about the only hotel in Castelvecchio. The regular cost per night was
too much for me, so I told the owner how much I was willing to pay and she accepted it! Just another example of how
benevolent and hospitable people are here.
The main sight in Castelvecchio is of course the Castello, which lies on the top of a small rock. The castle itself is
closed to the public, but the place is a treat. The view from up here is magnificent: the green, billowing Ligurian
mountain landscape; you see the road that leads here deep down in the valley. Just below you the calm village with its
white houses, a sleeping tree, children running around - some kind of general bliss lies all over the place. If you
look across all this, there's a parking-place just above the village where the road continues up on the mountain.
This is the place from where Luca Malco, a great original of Castelvecchio, gives us a daily dose of Italian
accordion music. With a stick in one hand and a tape recorder in the other, he wanders back and forth, singing
beautifully in opera style. A moment of entertainment for all inhabitants!
A lovely spot for dinner is the family-run Trattoria da Malco. It is also an often crowded meeting place for locals.
As I entered the restaurant I was welcomed by three waitresses: a young girl, an older girl and a woman who was probably
their mother. Before I knew where I was, I had a decanter with red wine standing on my table together with a bottle of
mineral water. Next comes the first dish: home-made ravioli. It is followed by loads of meat, asparagus and some kind
of small vegetable pancakes. It's so much that I haven't got a chance to finish it, but it's all very tasty. A cup of
coffee rounds it off perfectly before I have to leave this corner of paradise. I'll be back, for sure.
Outside the night is dark. I walk down to Castelvecchio's own football ground - a small lawn overlooking the valley.
I sit down on a small bench beside a stone with the following inscription:
N o t t e i n L i g u r i a
Guarda, che manto di stelle!
Senti, le carezze del vento!
È notte, è notte in Liguria!
Vieni, dormiamo all'aperto!
Il vecchio Castello di Rocca Barbena
è là ad aspettare il nostro risveglio.
Nessuno saprà mai, le cose che ha visto
il vecchio Castello di Rocca Barbena.
Björn Afzelius
Silently I sit there admiring the surroundings: the castle, brilliant stars, moonshine, light from an aeroplane
moving slowly far-off, silence, some people chatting further away, distant music from inside a house, darkness,
tranquillity, contours of the pitch-dark Ligurian mountains, a peaceful landscape, the persistently playing crickets,
the refreshing wind, light points from houses down in the valley. Suddenly the church bell strikes ten. I walk slowly
towards my hotel, convinced that I must soon come back to this magical place.
(from Italy/Czech Rep./Slovakia/Austria 2000)