Giovanni Allievi is an Italian landscape photographer. Despite not being his main job, landscape photography plays a major role in his life. He’s been doing exhibitions of his works since mid 2000’s, which can be seen at his website.
The Liguria region in Italy is famous for hosting one of the most visited and, judging by the sheer amount of images here on 500px, most photographed location known as “Cinque terre.” But very few people seems to be aware of another little gem in the western part of the region: the Varigotti hamlet.
The history of this tiny hamlet is long and rather tormented. The hamlet was already known in the pre-roman period as “Varicottis”. It then became Byzantine and was constantly under the threat of Saracen pirates. Disputed between Finale and Noli under the Del Carretto marquises in the XII century, it finally became a free autonomous municipality after the French revolution.
The houses on the beach of the hamlet are the most photogenic subject of Varigotti, especially during a seastorm.
Walking on the beach you will discover other compositions:
It is also worth dwelling on the numerous architectural details:
And you can catch different angles by moving a bit away from the hamlet:
Skip the March through September season if you want to avoid the less photogenic beach chairs and umbrellas. Weekends are pretty crowded also, at least when the sun is still high.
If you are visiting Italy in winter you could also be very lucky and meet some of these guys in Varigotti:
The area including Varigotti is known as “The Finalese” (named after the little town of Finale Ligure). It is very famous in Europe among climbers and outdoors lovers due to its beauty, climbing and walking possibilities, and mild climate. I made an e-book for those looking for the best photographic spots there: “Photographing in Liguria” – Vol. I – The Finalese
If your travel plans includes the French riviera, Varigotti is a nice one-night stop, roughly 120 Km from “Cinque terre” and 90 Km from Portofino en route to France. You have no excuses now. Happy shooting!
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