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Costarainera

1,8 km From Cipressa

Lying halfway up the western ridge that slopes gently down to the San Lorenzo marina, amidst green expanses of olive trees and maritime pines, Costarainera (in the local dialect 'Costa di Raineii' or 'Costarainea') is one of the most picturesque and characteristic villages in the entire valley. Heir to an urban, historical and cultural tradition that is the result of the battle between bell towers and adjoining neighbourhoods, nowadays Costarainera gives you the opportunity to walk through a maze of picturesque alleyways that get lost in the green of the olive groves and Mediterranean scrub, where some of the most important medieval monuments of the entire San Lorenzo Valley and beyond survive.

WHAT TO SEE IN COSTARAINERA

Parish Church of San Giovanni Battista
Restored to its former glory just a few years ago, the interior has returned to its original vibrant multitude of colours and features a remarkable marble gallery, stucco work, paintings and wooden sets from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as treasures recovered from the ancient church of Sant'Antonio Abate.
Oratory of San Sebastiano
Founded by the Lords of Lengueglia, the Oratory of San Sebastiano is a derelict building with a romantic and timeless air, surrounded by a thicket of olive and pine trees.
Church of Sant'Antonio Abate
Standing alone at the centre of an ancient crossroads that connected the pilgrim routes to Rome and Santiago de Compostela, the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate tells the story of a distant time.
Oratory of the Brotherhood of San Carlo Borromeo (or of the Holy Trinity)
Built at right angles to the Parish Church, the building has an eighteenth-century appearance (around the middle of the 18th century) inspired by the architectural forms and lines of St John the Baptist. Currently, the building is not open for worship or visits, pending its forthcoming extensive renovation.
Suburban Chapel of San Bernardo (or 'degli Amerigo')
Located at the far end of the urban area is a small chapel dedicated to St Bernard, which became the Amerigo family's signature building, or rather, 'noble' chapel, in 1891.