L
iguria - Day 3 - Chiavari-Gattorna
I did it! I sunbathed and took some rest on the beach this afternoon. But… ehm, this is not the main topic. I rode this nice route along an inner Ligurian valley from Chiavari to Gattorna.
The Slate Cycling Route
The official route runs from Lavagna to Bassi di Tribogna and is a piece of the Mediterranean Cycling Route connecting France to Rome. Its 30 km - 19 mi are well signalled, most of them are on a trafficless path. The terrain is asphalted, gravel and dirt. You can challenge the dirty track with any kind of bike.
I got to Chiavari by train but you can leave from Lavagna as well. The route is slightly ascending and it’s very easy. Most of the time you will be protected by thick wood.
The only black spot is a short section where you must step down and push your bike. The problem is well known by locals and the local FIAB are lobbying for better cycling mobility.
A post shared by Itaway (@itaway1) on Jul 14, 2017 at 11:30am PDT
Linguistics
This route owes its name to the metamorphic rock called “slate”. This area is so rich of slate that in Italy the “ardesia” was called “pietra di Lavagna” (literally stone of Lavagna, the village between Chiavari and Sestri Levante).
Blackboards were made of slate so the Italian for Blackboard is “Lavagna”.
What’s next
Tomorrow I’ll ride between La Spezia and Porto Venere.
by Alberto Riva @herrufer