Joanne's long walks: Sentiero Liguria 8: Cogoleto

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Sentiero Liguria 8: Cogoleto - Savona

Cogoleto - Savona (along the waterfront - via Varazze, Celle, Albisola) - 22.5 km

Second day following the waterfront on the pedestrian and cycle path along the bed of the old railroad. The original tunnels were only wide enough for one track, so the whole line was moved further inland, and the bed of the old line has been converted into a very pleasant waterfront pedestrian and cycle path. But it is not complete and so in some stretches you have to walk on the sidewalk of the Via Aurelia highway instead. Not a problem!

Cogoleto - The main shopping street

Another Columbus house!
That man sure must have moved around a lot in his life -
even before he crossed the ocean blue!

Fornace Bianchi - a restored lime kiln in Cogoleto

I learned a lot about Cogoleto as I attended a book launch for a volume to which my host in Cogoleto contributed multimedia content, Dalla Calce della Fornace Bianchi ai Dipinti di Gino Grimaldi. The book is about the restoration of a pre-industrial age lime kiln, now surrounded by modern apartment blocks, just outside the centre of Cogoleto. At one time lime production was the main industry in the town, employing the majority of its population. The other restoration project covered in the book is still underway in the chapel of the former insane asylum, which was painted with beautiful frescoes by one of the inmates of the asylum, Gino Grimaldi, in the 1920s and 30s. I had the opportunity to view a couple of his works that had been moved from that chapel to the Oratorio di San Lorenzo, where the book launch was held, and they are truly beautiful.