378 ON THE ROAD TO BRACCO. 



^riie successors of the Romans here at first made use ot 

 the Roman roads, near which the^' built their castles; 

 but gradually they allowed these roads to fall inco dis- 

 repair and did not make new ones. So that at the be- 

 o-inning of the eleventh century the means of communi- 

 cation between the different villages were so interrupted 

 that tralTic along the coast was confined to the sea. 



Before the finely situated \"illa Bertollo is reached 

 on the road from Bracco 30U look down into both bays 

 which are separated h\ the pineclad Monte Castello. 

 The ba)- of Moneglia can also be seen be\-ond a spur of 

 the hill, and in the far distance, when it is clear, the most 

 northern point of Corsica is visible across the blue sea. In 

 the Petronio valle\- to the west the groups of grey 

 houses of Casarza, Masso and Castiglione form charming 

 scenes. These places lie along the road to Borgotaro 

 which there joins the railway to Parma. To the north 

 and cast tower the giant masses of the .Vpennines. Their 

 heights are bare, but delicately tinged with different 

 shades of pearl-gre\ , orange and pale blue. The strong 

 contrast of light and shade enhances the effect still 

 more, and at the same time throws them into bold relief, 

 bringing the whole into sublime harmony. 



CHAPTER V^II, 



A well known aulhoritx' on Swiss I^otany, H. Christ, 

 autlior of "Das Pflanzenlebcn der Schweiz", considers 

 the Riviera di Levantc one of the most attracti^■e dis- 

 tricts of Italv. The eastern part of it, between Sestri 

 Levante and Spezia, especially charms him, not only by 



