BUSSANO. 389 



by the church, form a frarne to this unique picture. 

 Tlien the attention is attracted b^' the ancient village of 

 Bussano, which, as seen from a short distance , looks 

 like a pile of rocks rising skyward on the summit ot a 

 precipitous cliff. The place was completely destroyed 

 b\' the earthquake of 1887 and is now a most 

 romantic looking ruin. Ikit among its fallen houses 

 a tall ancl slender church tower rises. Has this been 

 newh" erected, or did it alone survive the destruction i 

 The answer to this c|uestion wa.s supplied b^' a man 

 who had approached me in order to beg. The tower 

 did reall}' remain standing. "C"un rniracolo" he added. 

 The old village o1 Russano was deserted \)\ almost all 

 its inhabitants, onh- the very poorest remaining because 

 they were quite unable to find an^' other lodging. Those 

 who were better off built a new town in the valle\-, not 

 far from the shore. In comparison with the old Bussano 

 this place has a ver\' prosaic appearance. l>ookingdown 

 on it from this high ground, one might imagine that 

 children had emptied out a box of coloured toy houses 

 ancl set them up all neat]\' and tidih' in a row. Perhaps 

 the picturesque situation of the earlier village was due 

 rather to necessit\' than to the love of beauty. The 

 dread of pirates ma^' have driven them to take refuge 

 on these inaccessible heights and to crowd their houses 

 together so as to form a sort of fortress. Castellaro was 

 thus constructed, that village, grev with age, which 

 stands some little distance to the east above the valley 

 of Taggia. Below it lies the village of Taggia, lamous 

 for its Olives and rich in fertile gardens which lie along 



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