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Interior of the Church of Sant Andrea, Levanto, Italy

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Interior of the Church of Sant Andrea, Levanto, Italy

When I travel I usually do a lot of reading ahead of time so that I am somewhat familiar as to what to expect. However on my recent trip to the Cinque Terre region of Italy, I had some last minute changes in my hiking plans after hearing how nice the hike was from Monterosso north to Levanto. As a result, I knew nothing about Levanto when I arrived except that was where I changed trains for Milan.

After 5 hours on the trail I headed to the first gelato place I could find to fortify myself for some more walking! After just a little search, I spied that blue sign with the lower case ‘i’ indicated tourist information. Not only did they show me the map and some local sights, they gave me a booklet with some suggested walks. I was quite thankful for that because aside from being physically tired from the hike, I was mentally tired and not in mood to try to plan anything! So I just followed a couple of the pre-planned walks.

This is the church of Sant’Andrea or Saint Andrew dating from the 13th century. Many of the churches in the region use alternating stripes of white Carrara marble and a local greenish/black stone called serpentinite to construct the facade. This church follows that model, as does one of the churches in Monterosso. On the interior, you get a hint of what it looks like in the arches around the windows. It is always humbling to visit these old structures to witness the craftsmanship and care taken in the construction in light of what modern day people might view as limited tools and technology. It is also a treat to visit these places because they are often totally empty, giving you quiet and rest and solitude, regardless of your faith or beliefs.