Levante

Luigi Speranza

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If you are looking for a nice destination, consider the Liguria region of northern Italy, commonly known as the Italian Riviera.

This thin strip of land lies on the Ligurian Sea, not far from Monaco and the French Riviera.

While Liguria is by no means undiscovered, its crowds are much smaller than those next door. There are many little towns or villages, and one international port city almost smack dab in the center of the coast.

This article explores Liguria east of Genoa, or as the locals call it, Riviera di Levante (The Riviera of the Rising Sun.)

Be sure to read the other articles in this series: western Liguria, Genoa, and Cinque Terre, five little seaside villages that just might steal your heart.

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We start our tour just east of Genoa at the seaside town of Nervi.

We continue southeast down the coast to the Portofino Promontory and the towns of Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure, and Portofino.

Then it’s back to the main coast and several destinations: Rapallo, Chiavari, Moneglia, La Spezia, Portovenere, and finally Lerici.

NERVI

The little town of Nervi near Genova has been a resort for well over one hundred years.

Swimming there is not recommended because of Genova’s pollution.

You may want to visit in July when Nervi hosts the International Ballet Festival.

Nervi’s highlight is its 1.5 kilometer long Passeggiata "Anita Garibaldi", named for the wife and comrade-in-arms of Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi, founder of the modern Italian state.

I’ll tell you a bit more about this great promenade, but first let’s talk about Madame Garibaldi.

She was born in pre-independence Brazil to a poor family and raised by a single mother.

She married at age 14.

It is said that when Garibaldi first laid eyes on her he could only whisper, “You must be mine.”

And she was.

She taught the sailor Guiseppe about the gaucho culture of her homeland and fought by his side in many battles.

The couple had four children and she died where carrying their fifth child several years before the independence of Italy.

In 1860, when Garibaldi rode his horse to greet Victor Emanuel II as King of a United Italy, he wore Anita's striped scarf over his gray South American poncho.

The rock hewn 1.5 kilometer-long Passeggiata "Anita Garibaldi" is full of palm and orange trees in its 300 acre (120 hectare) park.

Make sure to see the Parco Villa Grimaldi with its magnificent collection of roses.

And don’t forget Anita Garibaldi.

CAMOGLI

Camogli, population about five thousand, is a beautiful harbour community.

Its name carries two meanings:

-- "houses close together," and
-- "houses of wives,"

as the husbands were usually off fishing.

Its major tourist attraction is the annual fish fry and festival during the second weekend of May.

Saturday they bless the fish with bonfires and fireworks.

Sunday they fry them in the world’s largest skillet more than 12 feet (about four meters) in diameter.

Camogli is also home to the Cristoforo Colombo nautical institute named for you know whom (Cristoforo Colombo, a sailor).

You may also want to visit the nearby villages of

San Rocco,
San Niccolo, and
Punta Chiappa.

Santa Margherita Ligure, population about ten thousand, is an old, upscale resort town.

There’s a Sixteenth Century castle, and a few churches and villas to visit.

If you have the money you can stay in a top of the line hotel, costing a lot less than in neighboring Portofin.

According to the famous Roman writer Pliny the Elder the Romans founded Portofin and named it "Portus Delphini" (Port of the Dolphin) because of the numerous dolphins in the nearby waters.

Portofino is such a famous tourist attraction that it has been recreated, so to speak, in Japan and at the Portofino Bay Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The real thing is known to be quite pricey.

Portofin, population about five hundred, not counting the very numerous tourists is considered one the most beautiful Mediterranean ports.

Be sure to see the

Castello di San Giorgio,

old enough to be restored in the Sixteenth Century, with its lovely gardens, views and exhibit showing famous visitors including Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Prince Rainier at play.

When you have seen enough of these pictures walk out to the lighthouse and view Portofin’s villas from afar.

Stop in for a coffee and watch the fishing boats and ferries go by.

Then walk or ferry to the Tenth-Eleventh Century Abbazia di San Fruttuoso now a conservation site that occasionally has exhibits.

Portofin and its surroundings are safeguarded by the

Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofin and by the

Area Marina Protetta di Portofin.

Visit them both to enjoy the local flora and fauna on land and on sea.

RAPALLO.

Rapallo, population about thirty thousand, was initially settled in the Eighth Century B.C. perhaps by the Greeks and perhaps by the Etruscans.

During World War I it hosted an important conference and later was the site of two peace treaties including the Russian-German Treaty of Rapallo in 1922.

We all know how well that worked out.

Rapallo was once a major resort area but has not kept up with the times.

Be sure to visit the Eleventh Century Cathedral of Santi Gervasio e Protasio with a great bell tower and interesting paintings.

The Church of Santo Stefano, the first parish church in Rapallo, is the oldest building in town.

It was built before the Eleventh Century.

Other churches include the Church of San Francesco, the Sixteenth Century Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Sanctuary of Nostra Signora di Montallegro (Our Lady of Montallegro), and the Thirteenth Century Monastery of Valle Christi, abandoned for more than four centuries due to pirates.

Visit the local castles that were built to defend against pirates. For a different view of life visit the Museo del Pizzo a Tombolo (Bobbin Lace Museum of Rapallo).

CHIAVARI

Chiavari, population about thirty thousand, is a charming seaside resort situated in a fertile plain at the mouth of the Entella.

Near the station, at the end of a beautiful avenue of palms, stands the Seventeenth Century Cathedral. Morning markets are held on the Piazza Mazzini in the town center, dominated by the Palace of Justice, to the rear is the Sixteenth Century Citadel Tower.

MONEGLIA

Moneglia, population about twenty-seven hundred, is a quiet resort town that is less expensive than its better-known neighbors.

It hosts the Niccolo Paganini International Guitar Competition.

Moneglia is linked to the outside world by a long series of old tunnels.

With a little bad luck you can easily be stopped for a quarter hour before the light turns green. Imagine if it were more popular.

You may decide to bypass La Spezia, population ninety-five thousand, because of its size.

You shouldn’t.

For example, its Thirteenth Century Abbey Church of Santa Maria Assunta (Our Lady of the Assumption) has quite a collection of artwork, often originating in other churches demolished over the years.

La Spezia is home to at least eight museums ranging from the Museo Tecnico Navale (Technical Naval Museum) to the Centro Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, often known by its Italian acronym CAMeC. When you think you’re done museum hopping be sure to visit the recently restored Castello di San Giorgio (Saint George Castle) with its Museo del Castello that houses Roman and pre-Roman artifacts.

PORTOVENERE

Portovenere, population four thousand, sits at the end of a peninsula and has seen its share of warfare over the centuries. Make sure to see the Romanesque Eleventh Century Basilica of Saint Lawrence, named for a Saint burned alive on a gridiron for not surrendering the church’s treasures. This basilica was probably built over the ruins of an ancient temple dedicated to the Roman god Jupiter. The Gothic Church of Saint Peter, built over a pre-existing Fifth Century Palaeo-Chrisitian Church, was consecrated just before the end of the Twelfth Century. That’s the old part. The new part was constructed a century later.

The Grotto Arpaia, also known as Byron’s Grotto, marks the point where the English poet Lord Byron swam across the Gulf of La Spezia to visit his friend and fellow poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Don’t try it yourself unless you are an excellent swimmer, and be ready to dodge boat traffic.

But you can come here for inspiration as Lord Byron did.

Lerici, population about eleven thousand, marks the end of our Riviera di Levante tour.

It also marked the end of the English poet Shelley who drowned in the Bay of Spezia while returning to his beloved Lerici.

He actually lived in the nearby village of San Terenzo.

The Golfo di Lerici was renamed

"Golfo dei Poeti"

in honor of these two great English poets.

Make sure to see the Thirteenth Century Castello di Lerici (Lerici Castle) that commanded the bay for centuries and now hosts a paleontology museum.

What about food?

Liguria has quite a seacoast and you won’t have to look very far to find a seafood restaurant.

One favorite is anchovies, eaten as antipasto or as a main dish.

Popular fish include Swordfish, Tuna, Sardines, and Sea Bass.

Let’s suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Zuppa di Pesce (Fish Soup). Then try Pescato del Giorne à la Mode Ligure (Catch of the day, Liguria style – with Potatoes, Olives, and Pine Nuts.) For dessert indulge yourself with Canestrelli, literally little boxes (Doughnuts with Confectioners Sugar.) Be sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with your meal.

We’ll conclude with a quick look at Liguria wine. Liguria doesn’t have a lot of room for wine grapes. It ranks 19th among the 20 Italian regions for the acreage devoted to wine grapes and for total annual wine production. About 34% of its wine is red or rosé, leaving 66% white. The region produces eight DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. About 14% of Ligurian wine carries the DOC designation.

There are three DOC wines in the Riviera di Levante region, not counting Cinque Terre to be discussed in a separate article. The Golfo del Tigullio DOC is produced near Portofino from a wide variety of local grapes in a wide variety of styles. The dry Colli di Luni DOC is produced both in Liguria near La Spezia and in neighboring Tuscany in several styles from the white Vermentino grape, the red Sangiovese grape, and several local grapes. The Colline di Levanto DOC is a dry white or red wine produced from the white Vermentino grape, the red Sangiovese grape, and several local grapes. Liguria exports very little wine to North America so you may have to go there to taste the wines. To tell you the truth, there are other good reasons, too, for visiting this lovely area.