Fasce (sing. fascia) is the name given in Liguria to the terraces that mountain farmers built to grow vegetables on the slopes. On the hills just behind Nervi, in the outskirts of Genova, one can found peculiar examples of these buildings, which remind of other, ancient and far-away, civilizations.
This spot can be reached from the Itinerario Storico Colombiano (ISC), meaning Historical Columbus Route, a recently restored, very old path, which links the sea coast to the valley Fontabuona (meaning "good fountain", or "good spring") in the hinterland. It is believed, but I do not know if it is history or legend, that Columbus' grandfather came to Genova following this route from a village in Fontabuona. You can follow the ISC from Quinto, another sea suburb of Genova, and climb up in the direction of Monte Cordona (Cordona Peak); or, more conveniently, you can approach the ISC from the panoramic motor road, which starts from Apparizione, an elevated outlying district of Genova and leads to Monte Fasce(Fasce Peak) and beyond. After driving for approximately 10 km, this road crosses the ISC; leave the car there and take the path, which heads down, in the direction of the seacoast. In roughly 20 minutes you will get to a divide from which it is possible to see the terraces of our photographs.