MT. 58.] VISIT TO ITALY. 219 



traced. He accompanied the tourists as far as Bor- 

 dighera, whence two days' drive along the coast of the 

 Riviera del Ponente, with its succession of beautiful 

 bays and rocky headlands, brought them to Savona. 



This was the birthplace of Chiabrera the poet. The 

 inscription which he wrote for his tomb, to be seen in 

 the church of San Giacomo, is as follows : 



" Amico, io vivendo, cercava conforto 



Nel Monte Parnasso, 

 Ta, meglio consigliato, cercarlo 

 Nel Monte Calvario." 



The travellers could not, as they wished, read this 

 epitaph for themselves : they were only in time for 

 their train to Genoa, where a short stay sufficed for 

 Prestwich to see the Museum and to call on the Mar- 

 chese Giacomo Doria, as he was eager to press on for 

 an exploration of the caverns in the islets at the 

 entrance of the Gulf of Spezzia. The route lay along 

 the comparatively less known Riviera del Levante, on 

 through the magnificent scenery of the hills of Yarese. 

 Leaving the railway at Chiavari, the journey was con- 

 tinued in a light carriage to Spezzia, with a halt at 

 Borghetto to enable Prestwich to visit the cave of 

 Cassana, where he found no fossils, but satisfied him- 

 self as to the physical features. The expedition to this 

 inland cave he made on foot with a desperate-looking 

 character for a guide, and when his stipulated absence 

 of a couple of hours was lengthened to several, and the 

 shades of evening began to fall, the anxiety of his wife, 

 who waited at Borghetto, was very real. He had 

 called on the " superiore " of the district, who had con- 

 ducted him to other caverns in an adjoining valley. 

 Spezzia was reached in moonlight. 



