Fındıklı

Fındıklı is a town and district of Rize Province on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, east of the city of Rize. The town was formerly known as Vitze which means twig or branch in the Laz language and was renamed Fındıklı after the hazelnuts that were grown here, (although these have now mostly been replaced with tea). Like most Black Sea districts Fındıklı consists of a small strip of coast and a larger area of hills and mountains behind (which lead up into the Kaçkar Mountains. The recent widening of the Black Sea coast road has spoilt the quiet beauty of the seaside here, but the mountain countryside inland is still breathtakingly beautiful. There is little flat land in Fındıklı and most of the population lives in two large valleys, the...