8am Oct 23, 2014. We now have the bus loading routine down to a fine art. The entry to our apartment complex is too small to accommodate the big bus, so we have been experimenting with different pick up points. Several of previous efforts resulted in the frantic and direct response from the locals. IE. hand gestures and horn honking, more hand gestures sometimes with both hands!!! I never did figure out how they honked and worked their hands simultaneously. One cannot block the street in Saint Laurent du Var. Not even for a minute. With that understood, we found a spot just down the street from the apartment where the bus could park unmolested from the main road. Loaded up, we are on our way to The Italian Riviera.
San Remo, is a mere 43 kilometres from Nice. It is immediately apparent that we are no longer in France. The land is steeply sloped running from the mountains down to the sea. Every square inch of available area has been terraced using ancient stones to create agricultural land. Olive trees and grape vines fight for the sun along with vegetables gardens. It is a testament to the tenacity of the Ligurian peasant farmers that developed this area. The centuries of effort must have been herculean to cultivate such an alluring atterrare (ground for the non-italians)! I attempted to photograph the view , however the twisting road combined with the sunlight bouncing off the bus windows produced nothing worthy of the landscape. You will just have to take my word for it, or better yet....come and visit it yourself.
Even clothing styles are different, more muted colours, more crisp. This is not to say that the French Riviera inhabitants dress poorly, the contrast is best manifested in difference between a shirt buttoned to the top of one's neck versus worn more loosely. Such is the subtle differences between these former Ligurian's cousins.
San Remo was founded in Roman times. La citta del Fiori, (city of flowers) is best known today for tourism as part of the Italian Riviera. The city also plays host to some important cultural events such as the "Milan to San Remo Cycling Classic" and the "San Remo Music Festival" or Italian Song festival, the latter of which began in January 1951. Hosting the festival was intended to help pull the area out of a tough economic environment. Needless to say it succeeded. Unlike other music festivals, this one was designed to showcase song writers more then singers. The songs must be previously unrecorded and performed twice by two different artists. Additionally, one of the artist must be Italian, the second artist would be an international guest. This festival was the launch pad for many stars, not the least of which was a young Andrea Bocelli in 1994! In 1958-my birth year- a four time winner of this event, Domenico Modugno, Italy's first contautore, sang "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu"! Does anyone out there know what that song is in English? There is a YouTube video of Domenico performing it on the Ed Sullivan show. Check it out, but try and guess the song title first. Here is a hint to help you. There was a car manufactured by Pymouth in the late 70's that used the same name. LOL
https://youtu.be/t4IjJav7xbg
Upon arrival, I was in desperate need of coffee. The Italians make great coffee. Johanne and I found this little Caffe shop just off the main piazza. Everyone there was speaking Italian, no tourists, no commercial desire to serve tourists. We ordered, using a mumbled form of Italian. Shortly thereafter, a rich Cappuccino and a biscottei arrived. We sat outside enjoying the morning sun with a plan to reconnect with our group for a visit to the local market.
Vespa parked, shopping sack in hand, the locals were also planning a market day.
We tasted our way through all the food groups. Italian shop keepers were more than pleased to offer us examples of their products. One particular stall was overrun by our group of eager sampler's keen on testing the local cheese and Olive Oil. Here they grow taggiasca olives, light in colour and smooth tasting! Product marketing works....as many purchased much of what was tasted. Fresh and delicious! I held off as I was sure there was going to be a nice lunch in the near future.
Rivolte di San Sebastiano(winding, stepped alleyways) lead us to La Piazza Dei Dolori, pictured above. This is one of the most characteristic squares among the many adorning this historic town. Winding and steps is an appropriate description of this old area. We climbed a ton of stairs exploring... before arriving at Restorante Urbicia Vivas. The menu was interesting and inexpensive, a good combination. Fettuccine with Shrimp in a light tomato sauce for Johanne, Gnocchi with a spicy tomato sauce for moi, followed by veal medallions and sardines shared equally between us, and a nice nice little Chianti to wash it down. Perfect taste of Italy!
We navigated our way back through the labyrinth to the shopping area for a quick look around before heading to Dolceacqua for the remainder of the afternoon.
Dolceacqua, is really two places. The old and the really old. The ancient centre or "Terra" is seen above. The Nineteenth century section called the "Borgo" is out of the frame to the left of the bridge. Long considered one of the must see small villages in Italy, Dolceacqua has a long and rich history, dating back to the 11th century. The medieval walled village was towered over by the Doria castle, inhabited by one of the founding families of Liguria.
Monet loved this village, dedicating 4 works to the village and defining the ancient humpback bridge as a "jewel of lightness". Once we cross the bridge, entry to the time worn centre is through this gate(see above). The "carrugi" or narrow shaded streets weave their way up to the castle. The homes here are very tall, some as much as 6 stories, creating a closed, kind of cramped feeling at times. The rays of sunlight, a happy welcome as we climb the steps toward the castle.
During our exploration we happened to uncover a small Enoteca. The proprietor was quite pleased to offer us a degustazione! So while the group, Johanne included, went off to watch a short film describing the area, I stayed behind to manage the arduous task of researching the grape....Rossese di Dolceacqua. This is the first wine from Liguria to receive the DOC designation. Soft, aromatic and slightly sweet, the wine must have an alcohol content of no less the 12.5%. It is designated superior when above 13%. The production for this wine is very limited thus is relatively unknown outside of this area of the Mediterranean.
Festivals are abundant in all parts of Europe. The Festival of the Michetta, held each year on August 16th in this town, does have an unusual reason for being. Way back in the 1300's, the lord of the villages throughout Europe had a power referred to as "the jus primae noctis". This power provided the ultimate demonstration of control over the peasants. It is said that the lord had the unequivocal right to share the peasant bride at his choosing. In the year 1364, the Lord Doris sent a message requesting the company of a certain young beauty...she refused his request. Not good...... He threw her in jail with a view to letting her rot in prison. The town revolted, forcing the Marquis Doria to relent his abuse of power. Ever since, there has been celebration, on the 16th of August, to commemerate the victory of Love over Power! The woman of the village created a sweet bread called Michetta as an enduring symbol of love and freedom.
A very peaceful place. The group was full of smiles on this trip. I was full of food and wine. I wonder what we are having for dinner. LOL
Ciao
Be well
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