by John Bryant

Created on: July 08, 2008   Last Updated: July 10, 2008

There it was - a gap in my trip planning! We were going to complete a short stay in the Cinque Terre area of Italy and had to be in Portoroz, Slovenia two days later. What to do in addition to trying to satisfy my wife's desire to visit the famous marble quarries of Carrara? Well, a little map reconnaissance and online search identified some great options and, as the trip eventually played out, we had more than enough to do.

First was that visit to Carrara. After an early morning drive through the center of the Mediterranean port of La Spezia, site of an Italian naval headquarters and base with destroyers and frigates docked, we left the main highway about 15 kms east of La Spezia and climbed into the mountains to Carrara. We found a town dedicated for centuries to the famous marble mined here and used in such works as Michangelo's David'. As we drove through the town, the active quarries suddenly appeared far ahead on the mountainside and large trucks were moving about in the narrow valleys at the base of the quarries. We encountered several workshops and retail stores along the route into the valleys so, of course, we stopped for some window shopping'. We left with some inexpensive handcarved pieces for ourselves and gifts. I had to have a little David' and noted I had picked up some marble dust on my jacket!

From Carrara, we backtracked westward a bit to Fosdinovo, a beautiful town I had not identified, but which we found a wonder. Fosdinovo is a small village entirely enclosed by a 11th Century castle, high in the hills overlooking the fertile plain stretching back to the sparkling Mediterranean. We had to stop for a walk through Fosdinovo's narrow streets in which homes and shops are flush with the interior walls of the castle. We found an outdoor cafe inside the walls from which one could enjoy a coffee, wine, or beer while gazing out on the beautiful farmland reaching to the sea with La Spezia in the distance. We almost decided to tary in the cafe but realized we had to press ahead toward Modena in the Emilia Romagna, home to balsamic vinegar and Lambrusco wine and the birthplace of tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

As we continued northward, we drove on highway SS63 through some of the most beautiful rolling countryside we've ever seen, around almost every bend another quaint little village in the distance, small red roofed homes clustered about an old church and perfectly framed by green farmland and wild flowers and trees in springtime bloom. It was great to

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