Castello della Pietra, Vobbia, Genoa, Liguria, Italy, Europe
The Stone Castle is an ancient fortification located in the Ligurian town of Vobbia, located in the tributary valley of the Scrivia stream. It is the main and most characteristic monument of the Genoese hinterland, the cultural and landscape attraction of the Antola Natural Park and included in the list of Italian national monuments. Situated in a picturesque elevated position between two rocky conglomerates that make up its natural ramparts, it overlooks the road that lays the Vobbia stream, rising from the Isle of the Canton. The castle can only be reached on foot through a path in the woods, and a staircase, after twenty minutes of evocative journey starting from the provincial road. You can also reach the site along another path, a bit longer, which starts from the Torre di Vobbia hamlet, called Castellani Path. In 2014, extraordinary work was done along the path and structure with the temporary closure of the site to the public. You can also visit the castle on public holidays from Easter Monday at the end of October; and, upon agreement with the Antola Park Authority, for groups and committees, also on other weekdays. There are still insufficient and exhaustive historical records on the actual date of construction, so it has been assumed that the construction may date back to the 1100s or even earlier, but that is the mystery. In ancient times, from the Longobard times, there were monks of the abbey of San Colombano di Bobbio, to which the area belonged, which, like other parts, built hermitages in caves or in high and impassable places; as it did for the hermitage of San Colombano. Some documents of 1252 nominate the Opio prince of Pietra, whose family assumed the title of the Stone, just for the bond with the dense fortress. According to the famous Annali of the historic Caffaro di Rustico by Caschifellone already in the thirteenth century the castle presented the same structural and architectural features of the present and its jurisdiction included the High Val Borbera travaling the hill of San Fermo. Following the death of William of the Stone, the manor became the property of the noble family Spinola until 1518 when it was given for disposition to Adorno; the will is dated June 7, 1518, and the will of Ptolemy Spinola is in favor of the brothers Antoniotto and Gerolamo Adorno. Prospero Adorno got the investment officer on January 17, 1565 and ten years later (1575) the property went into the hands of his brother Girolamo Adorno. In 1579 he was captured by some malevivants, but was regained by Giorgio Centurione on behalf of the Senate of the Republic of Genoa. In 1620 Emperor Mattia of Habsburg annexed it to the Pallavicino feud in Val Borbera, thus losing all autonomous jurisdictional power, but constituting until the end of the eighteenth century an enclave among the greatest feuds of the Fieschi and Spinola; under its jurisdiction were Tower of Vobbia, Pareto in Val Brevenna and Gordena in Upper Val Borbera. Later it became the property of Botta Adorno. In 1797, the French troops arrived in the Apennines and, by the will of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Feudi Imperiali was suppressed. The manor was thus abandoned by the last charismatic castellano, Michele Bisio and after a few years was given to the flames, decreeing the progressive ruin. The bronze of the cannons was taken by the bishop of Tortona to be used for the fusion of the bells of the church of Santa Croce of Crocefieschi. The ruins of the ancient castle, however, remained the property of Botta Adorno until 1882 when it was sold to the Cusani Visconti family. On May 21, 1919, owner Luigi Riva Cusani sold it to John Battista Beroldo of Vobbia. The Beroldo family then donated it to the Commune of Vobbia in 1979. In 1981, two years after the sale to the communal vobbies, the province of Genoa, on the stimulus of the Historical Studies Center for the High Valley Scrivia (Busalla), launched several interventions restoring the old rubble and making reliefs to better understand the entire structure as a whole. The castle, since 1994, is open to the public for guided tours inside and to the Torrione Grande. Since 2008 the castle is managed by Parco dell'Antola which through the Stone Castle Cooperative organizes guided tours in April-October and a program of historical events during the summer period, during which also operates a refreshment point that promotes the typical products of the Park. The castle is divided into two bodies set to different dimensions. It is accessed by the anchorage whose three planes have been restored with a grid metal structure.
Cinque Terre Tour
You will experience an unforgettable day discovering the most impressive Ligurian landscapes. This is an area, declared World Heritage by UNESCO, where earth and sea fuse to create a unique and unforgettable landscape. The area consists of eighteen kilometres of rocky coasts made of caves, beaches and paths with breathtaking landscapes. The tour in 5 Terre will continue by boat and by train. Tourists will visit the village of MANAROLA, a tiny urban jewel full of typical Genoese’s style ‘case-torri’, the village of VERNAZZA overlooked by the remains of a castle and a Medieval cylindrical tower from the XI century, the village of RIOMAGGIORE, a XIII century village famous for its wine where we will walk through its characteristic paths, the village of CORNIGLIA, the only village of the Cinque Terre not in contact with the sea, rising on top of a rock promontory, the village of MONTEROSSO, known as “the pearl of 5 Terre”, an ancient fishing village that will catch our attention with the beauty of its beaches and the rich vegetation on the rocks.
Here you can choose to have a delicious three-course fish-based lunch will be served in a typical restaurant perched on a cliff with a beautiful view of the bay!
Autostrada A21 in Piedmont (Piemonte), Italy (Italia) – onboard camera
In the first part of the video the whole length of Autostrada A21 in Piedmont (Piemonte) is shown from its start near Turin (Torino), where Tangenziale sud di Torino (Autostrada A55) is renamed to Autostrada A21 at the Santena exit, to the Piedmont – Lombardy (Lombardia) border.
The second part of the video (51:53) features the section of Autostrada A21 between Piedmont – Lombardy and Alessandria ovest (west) exit, while driving towards the opposite direction this time. The full length of this section is also in Piedmont.
There is relatively dense fog (for a motorway) during the first 9 minutes of the video.
Contents:
0:00 - Start / Tangenziale sud di Torino (Autostrada A55) / Santena exit
0:15 - Autostrada A21
6:26 - Barriera Villanova (Entrance tollbooth)
7:48 - Ferrari 458 Spider
8:34 - Area servizio Villanova
18:23 - Asti ovest (west) exit
21:27 - Asti est (east) - Cuneo (Autostrada A33) exit
26:22 - Area servizio Crocetta
28:08 - Felizzano - Quattordio exit
34:18 - Genova - Alessandria sud - Ventimiglia (Autostrada A26 - Autostrada dei Trafori) exit
34:50 - Gravellona Toce - Santhià - Aosta (Autostrada A26 - Autostrada dei Trafori) exit
34:58 - Alessandria ovest (west) exit
40:10 - Alessandria est (east) exit
44:57 - Milano - Genova - Tortona (Autostrada A7 - Autostrada dei Giovi) exit
47:38 - Area servizio Tortona
51:53 - Driving the other way round
55:43 - Area servizio Tortona
57:45 - Milano - Genova - Tortona (Autostrada A7 - Autostrada dei Giovi) exit
1:03:18 - Alessandria est (east) exit
1:07:57 - Ferrari 458
1:08:39 - Alessandria ovest (west) exit
1:09:38 - Exit tollbooth
Car:
Mitsubishi Lancer 1.5L Invite (model of 2010)
Engine — 4A91
Power — 108 hp (81 kW; 109 PS) at 6000 rpm
Torque — 143 N·m (105 lb·ft) at 4000 rpm
EBC UPR rotors
Ferodo Premier pads
Dunlop Sport Maxx RT 225/55R16 tires
Camera:
GoPro HD HERO2
Video Specifications:
30 fps @ 1080p
FOV: 170º
Spot Meter: OFF
Soundtrack:
0:00 - Light Awash
29:15 - Garden Music
Music: Kevin MacLeod -