THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
www.italoamericano.org
20
L'Italo-Americano
P
ortovenere is
a small, quaint
village in the La
Spezia province
o f L i g u r i a , o n
the Riviera di Levante that
g e n t l y a r c h e s t o w a r d s
T u s c a n y . O n c e a
fishermen's hamlet, it is
t o d a y a p o p u l a r t o u r i s t
destination, often bundled
i n d a y o r w e e k e n d t r i p s
with nearby Cinque Terre.
Portovenere is, however,
special in its own right, so
much so it became part of
UNESCO's World Heritage
i n 1 9 9 7 , a l o n g w i t h i t s
p e r h a p s m o r e f a m o u s
neighbors.
I t s n a m e , o r i g i n a l l y
P o r t u s V e n e r i s , c o m e s
from the ancient presence
of a temple dedicated to
Venus Erycina that once
s t o o d o n t o p o f t h e
p r o m o n t o r y t o d a y
o c c u p i e d b y S a n P i e t r o
church. The presence of a
t e m p l e d e v o t e d t o t h e
goddess of beauty so near
t o t h e s e a w a s n ' t
s u r p r i s i n g , a s i t w a s
believed she had been born
from sea foam.
But Portovenere is, for
many, the village of poetry,
and not solely because its
beauty can inspire lyrical
creativity, but because it's
a l w a y s b e e n l o v e d b y
artists and writers. From
Percy Shelley to Lord
B y r o n , a l l t h e w a y t o
Eugenio Montale, this
v i l l a g e - - t h a t f a c e s t h e
a p t l y n a m e d G o l f o d e i
Poeti -- was founded in
R o m a n t i m e s , b u t
developed especially in the
M i d d l e A g e s , w h e n
Benedictine monks made
of it their home. In the 11th
century, it was in the hands
of the Vezzano family, but
soon became part of the
R e p u b l i c o f G e n o a , a s
a t t e s t e d b y t h e
construction of a castle in
1 1 1 3 , j u s t b e s i d e t h e
already existing Church of
San Pietro.
A l w a y s i n t h e 1 2 t h
century, the other village
GIULIA FRANCESCHINI
Continued to page 22
Beautiful Portovenere: it is easy to see why it inspired so many artists (Photo: Nicolaforenza/Dreamstime)
The village of poetry, Portovenere
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