Casella, if you do not know it, is a village lying in the hills behind Genoa in Liguria, Italy. After a ride on a rickety little train, I ended up there for the first time this August and came across this the church in this out of the way little place in the middle of nowhere.
Here are some photographs of the interior of Casella’s Chiesa di Santo Stefano church. It did not look much from the outside, but internally, and like so many churches in Italy, it is truly a work of art.
The church is well worth visiting, as is Casella which has a very good restaurant called the Antica Trattoria della Posta. Not only is the food fabulous, the prices are very reasonable too and the restaurant sells an extensive range of wines and local products too. The Antica Trattoria della Posta is a very good reason to visit Casella! If you visit during the warmer weather, eat out on the little terrace.
Photographs of the Church in Casella
Chiesa di Santo Stefano – or Saint Steven’s Church.
First, the facade of Casella church, which does nothing to give away the treasures hidden within:
The treasures hidden within:
Here is the entrance, which you may not notice until you turn to leave, in which case you may miss it. Don’t:
Stop reading, start speaking
Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.
Last, but by no means least, here is a detail shot of the ceiling:
I know it’s not the Sistine chapel, but it not far off.
Where is Casella?
Here is a map to show you where Casella is to be found. You can zoom in and out using the + and – icons:
[googlemap lat=”44.53567453241317″ lng=”8.993682861328125″ align=”center” width=”450px” height=”300px” zoom=”10″ type=”G_NORMAL_MAP”]Italy[/googlemap]
The train ride from Genoa to Casella is lovely. The views are spectacular. A trip to Casella is well worth adding to your itnerary if you happen to visit Genoa. Tickets, at the time of writing, cost around €10 return. You could drive to Casella, but you’d be missing out.
If you do go, do remember to pay a visit to Antica Trattoria della Posta, if only to browse their extensive selection of wines. I would heartily recommend eating there too.
Yet another of Italy’s oh so many hidden gems: Saint Steven’s Church in Casella.
