Finale Ligure - The Quiet Riviera
The Tandem Spirits enjoy exploring new regions and towns in Italy. At this time of the year we normally head to Puglia at the heel of the boot, but this year we went north and explored some places in the Region of Liguria. We have been curious about this area for some time and, fortunately, things aligned this year which made it possible for us to organize a fun vacation. James has a cousin, Marina, who lives in this area and whose grandmother Armida was his grandfather’s sister. We had only met her once and wanted to get to know her and her husband, Giorgio, better.
Coincidentally, James’ cousin Mike from Michigan was going to be staying near the port city of La Spezia and invited us to spend time with him and his family at the villa he was renting. We also wanted to finally see Genoa, a town which seems to have eluded us these past 8 years.
We decided to meet up with Marina at Finale Ligure which is a beach town on the Italian Riviera, and arrived in the late afternoon. Our hotel was a 10 minute walk to the beach. James made plans to meet up with Marina for dinner. After unpacking, we headed out to explore the town. We walked along the boardwalk admiring the beach, the water and the surrounding cliffs and mountains. There are palm trees all along the boardwalk, which is quite extensive. Looking for some shade we made our way into town. Although the center is small, it is quite charming with a lot of nice shops.
The Basilica of St. John the Baptist was quite impressive. The large interior felt very open. The ceiling is covered in frescos by various painters, mainly by Paolo Gerolano Brusco, Giuseppe Passano, and Giacomo Picco. The vastness of the church was a surprise given the size of the town.
Finalborgo with Marina & Giorgio
We met up with Marina and Giorgio in Finalborgo, a part of the town that is just a bit further inland. It was wonderful to see them again and have a chance to reconnect. We had dinner at Bistro I Torchietti. The food was excellent, Sea bass, Pasta Maltagliati, and Panna Cotta were all delicious. After dinner we wandered around the town with Marina and Giorgio.
Basilica San Biagio
After dinner we wandered around the town with Marina and Giorgio. The church, San Biagio was open. It is similar to St. John the Baptist in Finale Ligure in terms of the size and layout. An amazing feature was the railing at the altar. That “lace” that you see is actually carved stone. Even standing within 3 feet of it we though it was fabric
Bicycling Along the Coast
On Saturday morning we took the tandem out for a scenic ride down the coast along the beach. It was a perfect day for a ride.
We drove up to Finalborgo for lunch at Sotto il Santo, a spaghetteria. They serve various types of pasta with a seemingly infinite number of possible sauces. Virginia enjoyed Spaghetti with a Mediterranean sauce made with tomato, olives. James had spaghetti with fresh anchovies, tomatoes, pine nuts, and capers. He says this was the best pasta he has ever eaten.
After lunch we did some window shopping.
Saturday Evening
Saturday evening, Marina and Giorgio took us to Bar Centrale, a place where the locals go to eat in Finalborogo. They don’t have a fixed menu. They put the daily selections up on a chalkboard. What a great find.
Mountain Biking - Something Completely Different
Sunday morning we did something new and exciting. We had wanted to bicycle in the mountains, but it wasn’t possible to go very far with the tandem, and it isn’t really suitable for some of the gravel roads. While riding on Saturday morning, we came across a Mountain Biking shop MTBITALY that does tours, so we signed up for the next day.
When we arrived we met our guides, Manuela and Fabio, and were instructed to practice a bit in the parking lot. The Tandem Spirits had never been mountain biking before, and the bikes were quite big and very heavy. There were some concerned looks as everyone watched Virginia try unsuccessfully to ride in the parking lot. Fortunately, these guys are professionals and had a plan. We drove up into the mountains to the grounds of a former NATO base where Manuela and Fabio showed us the proper way to ride the bikes and had us practice turning, cornering, standing, and stopping correctly. We learned a lot. When they finally thought we were ready, we started off on our ride in and down the mountains. Even though it was a challenging day, we had fun and thoroughly enjoyed riding and chatting with our guides.
Of course we were hungry after our morning adventure. On the walk back to the hotel we stopped at the first place we found the had an interesting menu, il Pinole BarZ8. It was right off the beach, under a canopy with a nice sea breeze coming in.
Virginia had a traditional Ligurian dish, Farinata, which is a type of “bread” made with chickpeas. They served it in a number of ways. Virginia had it with pesto, another Ligurian specialty. James had plin, which are a small stuffed pasta in the shape of a triangular wedge. They were filled with red mullet (triglia) and basil in a sauce made of tomatoes, olives, and toasted almonds.
The Final Day - Finalborgo
We had plans to meet Maria and Giorgio for dinner on our final evening, so after cleaning ourselves up and taking a nap, we walked up to Finalborgo. We arrive a couple of hours early so we could do some shopping. Finalborgo was one of our favorite towns this vacation. It has a lot of nice shops that cater to trekking, bicycling and mountain climbing. There are also a lot of cute little, metal sculptures throughout the town.
Dinner had been so good on Saturday, we decided to eat at Central Bar again. We were not disappointed. We both ordered Vitello Tonnato, which is thinly sliced veal in a tuna sauce. Giorgio ordered the pasta with four cheeses, which was sinfully rich and delicious. Marina ordered a seafood salad.
We ended the evening with a stroll in Finale Ligure and had a delicious Lemon granita.
Monday the La Spezia and Genova adventures begin.
Looks like a wonderful trip with delicious food!!