On the Route of the Sailing Ships that Crossed the Western Seas: A Day in Loano

It was April 1825. The people passing along the seafront of Loano noticed a tartana, that is a boat with lateen sails, heading east. In those days many such boats passed along the Ligurian coast, but this one had something special: it was owned by Domenico Garibaldi, the father of Giuseppe Garibaldi. On board were both him and his son, already enrolled in the Register of ship's boys of Genoa, happy to have finally obtained his father's consent to embark on a seafaring career. That time they had set off from Nice on board the tartana Santa Reparata, bound for Rome with a cargo of wine for the pilgrims who had come for the Jubilee. Off Loano the hearts of the Garibaldis beat faster: Rosa Raimondi, the mother of Giuseppe and his five brothers, was a native of that splendid seaside town.

One of the first stops of our day in Loano is indeed at the birthplace of Rosa Raimondi, marked by a plaque commemorating the famous mother. At the Museo del Mare, in the Palazzo Kursaal on the seafront, it is instead possible to immerse yourself in the atmospheres of the maritime past of the area where Garibaldi grew up. The oldest witness of Loano's seafaring life is the Chiesetta del Loreto, dating back to 775, built for the faithful who lived along the coast. Moving towards the centre we reach the elegant Piazza Italia, of evocative beauty thanks to the imposing dodecagonal Cathedral dedicated to St John the Baptist, beside which stands the Oratory of the Cappe Turchine, built in 1661.

The confraternity of the Cappe Turchine performs every year the ritual of the Festa del Mare, carrying on their shoulders close to the shore the sculptural group representing the Madonna della Visitazione, to which several bows are made in front of the sea. The charm of the seventeenth century also envelops us inside the Cathedral, which preserves numerous precious canvases of that era. Wandering through the historic centre we also visit the sixteenth-century religious complex of Sant'Agostino, which houses a rich library. Continuing towards the Castle, built in the thirteenth century by Oberto Doria, we discover another district of great historical interest. At the foot of the manor winds the Borgo Castello, with its intact medieval layout.

A little further on we reach the Ponte Castello, erected in the eighteenth century on original Roman-era foundations, and the monumental complex of the Convento Monte Carmelo. Founded in 1602, the Convent can be admired despite the restoration work in progress: the octagonal-based dome of the church is visible from very far away, while next to the silent cloister are the friars' vegetable gardens, where medicinal plants are grown. Returning to the very colourful caruggi of the historic centre, we admire the Porta del Passorino, whose clock is one of the symbols of Loano. We stay near this historic Gate for dinner too, choosing the Restaurant Matamà, in via Ghilini.

We settle into the cosy and characteristic room with vaulted brickwork and tables decorated with very original little plants of various varieties of chilli pepper, and we immediately discover we are in a place where you can taste authentic traditional Ligurian cuisine, suited to modern tastes. “The word ‘Matamà’ in Ligurian dialect means a highly prized cut of boiled meat,” explains Mr Mauro, the owner who runs the restaurant with his wife Lorena. “We select the meat with great care, offering only the best quality. Our dishes vary a lot with the seasons, we use almost exclusively local products, based on what the sea and the vegetable garden offer. We also do gluten-free restaurant cooking, since we belong to the Italian Coeliac Association,” the owners tell us.

Being a few steps from the sea, fish remains the absolute protagonist: indeed, we start our dinner with raw king prawns from Oneglia and courgettes stuffed with courgettes with baked flowers. We follow these exquisite starters with trenette with fresh lobster and trofie with giant squid, clams and black truffle. As a main course we taste the restaurant's most requested speciality, the land-and-sea fried platter. Some of our friends try instead other fresh fish dishes, based on sea bream and gurnard. We wash these treats down with excellent wines from the Ligurian Riviera, chosen from the well-stocked wine list, which also includes a good selection of champagne.

The sweet conclusion to the dinner sees us enjoy a bavaroise served in a glass with strawberry compote, ginger and fresh strawberries and a cheesecake with meringue and berry sauce, while our coeliac friend chooses a gluten-free dark chocolate soufflé. Loano is also called the Isola del Ponente, for its particularly mild climate: we will take the opportunity to come back, perhaps even out of season.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Trattoria Matamà Via Ghilini, 26 Loano (SV) Tel.: 019/677459