Region of Liguria

Colletta di Castelbianco, Liguria

Up a steep hillside, the taupe splash of ancient stone houses breaks the ocean of green stretching from jagged peak to wooded foot. The pretty jumble of red roofs, baby blue windows and cobbled streets soon resolves into the medieval village of Colletta di Castelbianco, in the Pennavaire valley, halfway between Genoa and Nice.