Turning South
We made it up to Genoa (Genova), the capitol of Liguria and the apex of the Italian coast. It is a broad, sprawling port city and home to more than 1.5 million residents. People have been living here since 400-500 BC, which makes it one of the oldest, continuously lived-in cities in the world.
By the 16th century, as an important harbor town, Genoa had developed a reputation for sewing strong, sturdy sails for their ships. The fabric was super durable and thus also well suited for work pants for the hardworking dockers and sailors. The material was dyed blue with indigo, which was inexpensive and readily available. It became known as the ‘blue from Genoa’ or in French (since Genoa at that time belonged to France) “Bleu de Gênes”. The word “JEANS” comes from the French word “GÊNES” meaning Genoa. So we have Genoa to thank for our favorite pants.
The city would be a quick stopover for us, primarily focused on the perennial scavenger hunt - otherwise known as scouting out the chandleries. There were only a few random items on the list, nothing dire, but we were hoping to find a couple of fuses, a French Waters Pilot Guide and a few nautical charts. We spent most of a day trekking around the port and following up on leads when we’d queried where we might find them. We even navigated the buses across the city in search of the illusive pilot guides only to find that the shop didn’t exist. We came home empty handed save for a clamp we’d bought despite it not quite being the correct size.
We happened upon all kinds of street food and green grocers as we trekked around. Lots of Asian and Middle Eastern shops with produce I’d never seen before.
It was raining again and strolling somewhere indoors sounded good to us so we took the bus to IKEA. (Don’t judge me!) We wound aimlessly around, as one does. On the way home we happened upon a random, cheap housewares store that actually had the fuses we needed. Who’d have thought? Check that off the list.
Meanwhile, our Italian friends whom we’d met in Rome had spent a winter in the marina here in Genoa. A former pizzeria owner, Massimo had recommended a gourmet pizza restaurant within walking distance of the harbor. It was Friday night so we made a reservation. The intimate little restaurant had six tables against one wall and a small fully stocked bar on the other side. We had reserved a table at 7pm, right when they opened, so it was quiet when we first arrived. Within 30 minutes the place was packed and people were being turned away at the door.
The menu had a choice of classic or gourmet pizza with white sauce, red sauce or garlic infused olive oil. The classic style is a typical thin, crispy base while the gourmet style is a thicker more unusual base that I would describe as a cross between pizza crust and Italian bread. They use only 100% whole stone ground flours, and all the ingredients are organic and locally sourced. We ordered the gourmet crust which was soft in the middle and crunchy on the outside. The toppings were much higher quality than I’d found anywhere else. My pizza had fresh, seared tuna steaks placed atop a bed of mixed greens on the garlic infused olive oil and topped with caramelized onions and red peppercorns. I’ve never eaten anything like it! Truly extraordinary. We ordered a bottle of local wine to accompany our meal and wallowed in this rare, fine dining experience.
The next morning we slipped the lines and pointed our nose south for the first time in seven weeks! We cruised down the Italian Riviera to Imperia, a small town in the western most province of Liguria.
Photo: NOAA
Along the way we noticed dorsal fins in the distance and thought we were seeing dolphins. After further observation we realized that whatever they were, they were definitely not behaving like dolphins. We saw large fins flapping back and forth while slowly moving along above the the water. We’d no clue what we were watching. We cruised towards them and put the engines into neutral, sitting idle while what appeared to be a huge organism waved at us before diving deep down beneath the surface. We did some quick research and discovered that they were ocean sunfish, otherwise known as Mola. They can be found in springtime floating on their sides, warming themselves in the sun, in both tropical and temperate waters around the world, including in the Mediterranean Sea. They are oddly shaped, looking more like a gigantic swimming head with no tail than a fish, and averaging in size at about 6 ft (1.8m) long and 8 ft (2.4m) high [from dorsal to bottom fins - tip to tip], with an average weight of 2200 lbs (1000kg)! It was wonderful to see these massive, bizarre looking creatures.
We arrived in Imperia by mid afternoon and took a stroll around town. The bay is a large harbor full of both small and large yachts. The town got its name from the Impero River which runs through it. Above the port the skyline is dominated by the San Maurizio cathedral and along the waterfront the narrow streets form a charming old center with a tangle of lanes and tucked-away corners, with unexpected overlooks.
The flavor of the day in this part of Italy is the Torta Verde, a savory tart filled with eggs, cheese and bietola (chard). The local focaccia, Piscialandrea, combines tomato sauce, fresh anchovies, black olives, and capers. It was named after Andrea Doria which is a fascinating story of an Italian transatlantic, luxury, oceanliner that sunk off the coast of Nantucket. It’s well worth a read: https://www.history.com/news/the-sinking-of-andrea-doria). It was really nice to be in a small town once again (not much of a city girl). We cooked dinner and drank a toast on the foredeck just before sundown - it was our last night in ‘Eataly’….tomorrow France!
