FAI has opened Podere Lovara, located on the Punta Mesco Promontory, to the public. This 45-hectare area of Mediterranean maquis overlooks the sea and can only be reached on foot along the trail connecting Levanto and Monterosso.

The property lies within the Cinque Terre National Park, a Site of Community Interest and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was donated to FAI in 2009 by Immobiliare Fiascherino s.r.l. of Monza.

The property includes three rural buildings: the two "Lovara Houses"—Casa Rossa, which now features newly restored spaces for reception and refreshments, and Casa Bianca, home to the immersive video This is a Man’s Park, telling the story of Punta Mesco’s landscape—and Casa Nuova.

An Environmental Hub in the Park

Thanks to collaboration between FAI and the Cinque Terre National Park, with support from the Municipality of Levanto, Podere Lovara has been transformed into an environmental education and training centre. It provides hikers along the trail not only a pleasant and practical stop with local refreshments, but also a unique cultural experience.

The Historical Landscape of the Cinque Terre

Visitors can freely explore the restored interiors of a typical 18th-century rural house, once inhabited until the 1980s, surrounded by a vegetable garden, olive grove, and vineyard—all carefully restored and replanted by FAI. These cultivated terraces overlooking the sea are the very foundation and symbol of the Cinque Terre’s historic landscape.

Inside Casa Bianca, visitors can watch an immersive video narrated by La Spezia author Dario Vergassola, which recounts the history of the place and surrounding territory. The story weaves together Great History and everyday life, drawing on documents, testimonies, notary deeds, newsreels, agriculture, nature, literature—including works by Italo Calvino and Eugenio Montale, who dedicated a poem to Punta Mesco—and social, cultural, economic, and environmental changes that have shaped the area over centuries.

A Model of Sustainability

The donation enabled FAI, with the vital support of Fondazione Zegna, to restore the buildings, rebuild dry stone walls, and plant olive trees, vineyards, fruit trees, and 250 square meters of vegetable garden. Alongside landscape restoration, major efforts were made to ensure the property’s energy and water sustainability, turning it into a model of ecological responsibility powered by renewable resources.

Completely off-grid and disconnected from the public water supply, Podere Lovara uses solar energy and rainwater harvesting. Electricity is generated by 46 photovoltaic panels discreetly installed on the roof of Casa Rossa and a traditional wooden shed. Hot water and heating are supplied by four thermal floor panels.

A Unique FAI Property

Opened during FAI’s fiftieth anniversary, Podere Lovara stands out not only for its charm and unique location—accessible only on foot via an ancient path immersed in nature, with breathtaking views from Porto Venere to the Côte d'Azur—but also for FAI’s determined commitment and substantial investment to rescue and restore a rural landscape that embodies the history of the place and its people.

With the abandonment of cultivation, buildings, and terracing, and the encroachment of forest, this precious landscape risked being lost forever. Podere Lovara represents one of FAI’s most exemplary projects in preserving the Italian landscape, piece by piece, rescuing it from neglect and returning it to its historical function, now enhanced by new educational and recreational uses.