 |
| |
Col de Lava
On both sides of Porto, the
coastal road D81 goes through some very remarkable
scenery. On the the north side there is first a
little 500ft summit, that threads its way between
walls, rocks and sea, then a long scenic traverse
over Col de la
Croix/Palmrella.
But this page is about leaving Porto to the south and a short but scenic climb through Les Salanches to the town Piana, which likes to advertise the fact that it is on the Unesco world heritage list.
What comes after that is best left to pictures.
But it involves a lot of craggy rocks, walled in
turns, tourists stopping their cars to walk the
road instead of driving, and postcard sales. This
super photogenic stretch is only a few km long,
and then the road enters Piana, a collection of
houses and hotels, a safe distance from the cliffs
to the ocean, but with view on the steep opposite
side of the sea, and snowy peaks above and behind.
The summit of Col de Lava is reached just as you
leave this town and see the antennas on the Belvedere
de Saliccio s(u).
From West. (described
downwards) All the tourists are on the other side.
The coastal views are much more of a pastoral
nature on this side, grazing cows, forested hills
receding from the ocean. Gone are the wild cliffs
and red colors.
|
|
|
advertisement |
|
|
advertisement |