Facing out over the eastern Ligurian Sea and accessible only on foot via a magnificent panoramic path, Podere Case Lovara is the fulcrum of a project to salvage an ancient agricultural world and to develop the local resources in a sustainable way.

Donated to FAI by Immobiliare Fiascherino in 2009

LEGGI LA VERSIONE ITALIANA

The promontory of Punta Mesco, projecting out towards the crystal-clear sea of the Marine Protected Area of the Cinque Terre National Park, separates the bay of Levanto from the bay of Monterosso. The 45 hectares owned by FAI include three rural buildings, as well as lush woodland areas in which holm oaks and pines predominate, alternating with areas covered in Mediterranean maquis some distance from the coast. The extraordinary co-existence of the vegetation and the marine environment has given rise to a quite exceptional level of biodiversity, where the ancient presence of mankind, which has intelligently shaped the land without compromising the fragile ecological equilibriums, is very much in evidence. 1999 saw the establishment of the Cinque Terre National Park, and the new rules that came into force at the same time saved the area from various building projects while also marking the end of the longstanding human presence at Punta Mesco. When left to its own devices, nature can soon eliminate centuries of history: the woodland advances, damaging the buildings, “eating up” the crops and causing the collapse of the dry-stone walls that support the characteristic terraces, which – in addition to making space for cultivation – serve as a bulwark against hydrogeological collapse. The donation has allowed FAI, with the crucial support of the Zegna Foundation, to implement a project that respects the principles of the park, while reinstating the area’s historical function as farmland, with 60% of the energy coming from renewable sources. The first phase of the salvage operation involved the overhaul of the buildings and terraces, where spaces were given over for the cultivation of olives, grapes, fruits and vegetables. Visitors will find reception areas and can engage with descriptions of the history and prospects of the site, along with valuable proposals for what to do in the surrounding area and on the numerous trails that can be explored in what is one of the most fascinating and most typical landscapes to be found anywhere in the Liguria region.