Deb's sewing basket

I Love Touring Italy – Western Liguria

If you're in the mood for a European tourist destination, why not consider the region Liguria in northern Italy, commonly known as the Italian Riviera? This thin strip of land located on the Ligurian Sea, near Monaco and the French Riviera. While Liguria is hardly to be discovered, its crowds are somewhat smaller than those next door. It is home to many small towns and villages and an international port city almost Smack dab in the center of the coast. This article explores the west of Genoa, Liguria, or as the locals call it, Riviera di Ponente (Côte sunset.) Do not forget to read our articles in this series: eastern Liguria, Genoa and the Cinque Terre, five villages near the sea that could fly your heart.

We begin our visit to the west of Genoa, the seaside town of Pegli. We continue on the southwest coast of Albisola Marina, Imperia, Bussana Vecchia, San Remo, Bordighera, and end our tour at the Giardini Hanbury Botanici just west of the French border.

As the capital of Liguria Genoa, it increased almost swallowed little Pegli. You can walk and see the vestiges of its past. Its two main attractions of the Villa Doria and Villa Durazzo Pallavicini. The sixteenth century Villa Doria is now the headquarters of the navy of Genoa and Maritime Museum honoring the Marine most famous of the world, Christopher Columbus. The nineteenth century Villa Durazzo Pallavicini houses the Museo Civico di Archeologica Ligure (Liguria Civic Archeological Museum) with a beautiful park, lakes, caves and a castle in medieval style. Albisola Marina, the population of fifty-five cents, is famous for ceramics. I am told that experts can identify the ceramic Albisolan their shape, designs and colors. In any case, the promenade Lungomare degli Artisti (Artists Seafront) near the beach and you find beautiful memories of Liguria. Stop the luxurious Eighteenth century Villa Durazzo-Faraggiana to see. Remember look down and admire the floor slabs. It is near the baroque parish church of Nostra Signora della Concordia (Our Lady of harmony).

Imperia, forty thousand inhabitants, is really two cities in one. Oneglia is a petroleum refining and pharmaceuticals center. So why would you visit there? Its Museo del Olivo (Olive Oil Museum) is devoted to this most delicious of oil covering the nations and centuries. The location is quite appropriate at one time little Oneglia controlled the oil business throughout Europe. Other city of Imperia Porto Maurizio, a medieval town center and some palaces. The fairly modern cathedral, completed in 1832, is the largest church in Liguria. The city houses the Naval Museum of Western Ligure known for its collection of tools for shipbuilding.

Bussana Vecchia is a colony of artists who emerged from a ghost town. In 1887 an earthquake destroyed a village in the Ligurian hills east of San Remo (see below). The survivors have built huts near the entrance of the village, but he left after seven years. For over six decades, this area was abandoned. Then in the early 1960s by an Italian artist started Colonia Internazionale degli Artisti (International Artist Colony) for dancers, musicians, painters, sculptors and writers. As true artists they have met the characteristics of medieval buildings, used bricks and stones recovered from the rubble, and left the original facades. Do not miss.

San Remo, population less than sixty thousand, is the largest resort in western Liguria. Nestled between the Mediterranean and the Alps Maritimes he enjoys an excellent climate. During the low season in San Remo is probably the only movie site in the west of Liguria. It is a center of the flower international sale of twenty thousand tons of flowers (which measures the flowers by the ton?) Per year. But as the old gray mare, San Remo is not what it was. I was told that royalty no longer hangs his hat at these parties. Is this a reason for not visiting?

You should see the Russian Orthodox Church of San Basilio built less than a century ago by expatriate Russians. If you like to play hit the tables at the San Remo Art Nouveau Casino. Who knows what celebrity you'll see in May? The theater casino every year Music Festival of San Remo and has done since 1951. The original festival has attracted only three singers. I mention no names, but is celebrated (at least for Italians) applicant committed suicide after realizing that his song was eliminated from the competition.

La Pigna, the historic center San Remo was about a thousand years and still retains much of its uniqueness. Pigna means pine cone, roll up local streets around the hill like the scales of a pine cone. You start with the Fourteenth Century Gothic arch stone Porta di Santo Stefano Gate (Santo Stefano) then continue to discover more of this old stuff, churches, villas, palaces, etc.. Perhaps the royalty and their hangers-on just do not know what they are missing.

Bordighera, population just over ten thousand, has long been a popular winter resort frequented particularly the English who, at one time outnumbered the local residents. It is well known for flowers and palms, proudly used in the Basilica of Saint-Pierre Rome on Palm Sunday. Bordighera is the first city in Europe to grow date palms, long before global warming. According to legend, local date palm grew pits Egyptian planted in the early fifth century. Lungomare Argentina (Argentina Promenade) has an excellent view on the French Riviera and other churches. The seventeenth century parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena, a fine tower and contains the relics Sant'Ampelio of the patron saint of the city. He said they planted the first Egyptian date pits. Our last stop in this part of the world Botanical Garden is the Hanbury (Hanbury Botanical Gardens), located on a small peninsula steep descending towards the Mediterranean Sea. Approximately 44 acres (18 hectares) is one of the largest in Italy, but currently only about half of the property is cultivated. You can find specimens from five continents, including palm trees, but may only see the house from outside.

What about food? Despite this long coast, the Ligurian cuisine is not as intensive seafood as you might think. The Ligurian coast does not offer as rich a variety seafood along the Adriatic coast of Italy and its Mediterranean coast to the south. Instead of crying about this Ligurian cooks developed their own specialties including a vegetable pie that was a favorite of sailors, surely a change of this same old fish.

Let's offer a tasting menu, one of many. First pansoti con Salsa di Noci (ravioli with walnut sauce). Then try Polpa e Patate (Octopus Stewed with potatoes.) For dessert, let yourself go with Castagnaccio (Chestnut and Pine Nut Tart.) sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with your meal.

We'll conclude with a quick look at Liguria wine. Tiny Liguria has little room for wine grapes. It ranks 19th among the 20 Italian regions for acreage devoted to wine grapes and for total annual production of wine. Approximately 34% of its wine is red or pink, leaving 66% white. The region produces eight DOC wines. DOC means Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a wine high quality. About 14% of Ligurian wine carries the DOC designation.

There are three DOC wines of the region of the Riviera di Ponente. Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC May occurs almost everywhere in western Liguria. Although this wine is always dry, it may be red or white and comes from a variety of grapes premises. The Pornassio dry or sweet / Ormeasco di Pomassio DOC is produced in a small area north of Imperia Ormeasco local red grape called Dolchetto elsewhere. This grape is said to resemble Gamay, so if you like Beaujolais there are good chances that you'll love this wine. The Rossese di Dolceacqua / Dolceacqua is produced from a local red grape variety in a small area at the western tip of Liguria. Liguria is best-known wine. Liguria exports very little wine North America so that you may have to go to taste wines. To tell you the truth, there are many better reasons to visit this beautiful region.

About the Author

In his younger days Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books. Now he prefers drinking fine Italian, German, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and the right people. He knows what dieting is, and is glad that for the time being he can eat and drink what he wants, in moderation. He loves teaching various and sundry computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his new wine, diet, health, and nutrition website www.wineinyourdiet.com and his Italian wine website www.theitalianwineconnection.com.

The Cone – White Sail Reaching (MoBay 2007)