Riding Through the Ligurian Hinterland: A Day in Garlenda

A place you arrive at wanting to jump into the saddle, and where you discover that besides the riding-school horses there are also those of the historic Fiat 500s that had put "wings" under the feet of generations of Italians in the era of the economic boom. Welcome to Garlenda, a delightful little municipality in the Ligurian hinterland, not far from Albenga, the city of a hundred towers. If the seaside resorts draw huge numbers of tourists in summer, those of the hinterland have a steady charm all year round: the trails immersed in the green of the high Ligurian mountains, the views that make you forget the stress of the big city and lift you above everyday worries, the crystal-clear air, the distance from the chaos and the flavours of the local cuisine make these places sources of unmissable pleasure.

We reached Garlenda thanks to the "equine" instinct of some friends of ours, passionate about horseback trekking, and while they went off to have fun among the hills like true Indians, the rest of the group decided to explore the place on foot. We soon discover, talking to the locals, that Garlenda was already known in the early Middle Ages, when it was part of the Marquisate of Albenga. Thanks to its excellent geographical position, close to the sea but also to the roads that linked the coast with the rest of northern Italy, Garlenda became an important trading centre. It was then Anselmo dei Quaranta, forefather of the Della Lengueglia family and well liked by the population, who became Lord of the territory.

If he were alive, Anselmo could tell us what the original castle of Garlenda looked like: indeed, of the ancient castle, built in the 12th century and destroyed in the mid-16th century, only the ruins remain today, including a truncated keep and the perimeter area still visible on the top of the hill. We visit instead the new one, called the "Castello della Meridiana", built in the 17th century. Originally it was a guard house, and later it was turned into a residence, inhabited by the Costa - Del Carretto family. Wandering around Garlenda we discover that the village is loved not only by horse lovers, but also by golf enthusiasts. Continuing our tour between history and modernity, we reach the Museo della Fiat 500, named after Dante Giacosa, the famous engineer who designed many Fiat models, including the legendary Topolino.

Every year, on the first weekend of July, the village holds the Fiat 500 festival, with a big gathering. We also go to see a very ancient bridge with a romantic charm: the old stones almost entirely covered by thick vegetation and by the barking of the dogs, dutifully doing their job, that live nearby. Returning to the heart of the old town, we visit the Parish Church of the Nativity, whose octagonal dome and Baroque bell tower are truly fascinating, as are the precious inlaid marbles of the interior and a mysterious 17th-century canvas, which some say was by Guercino. After also visiting the Oratory, immersed in the precious half-light of the trees in the centre, we decide to stop for dinner at the Osteria Trattoria "Da Luciano", on the very central Via Roma. As soon as we go in, we are wrapped in a very pleasant, familiar trattoria atmosphere.

"When we took over this place, in 2005, it was just a bar. The bar is still here, but we, who are true lovers of Ligurian cuisine, turned the place into an osteria, and every day we offer local specialities that are finger-licking good," Mr Luciano and Mrs Lena, the owners, explain to us. We immediately find confirmation of all this, tasting the appetisers, all freshly prepared: fritters, Genoese-style stuffed vegetables, marinated anchovies, torta pasqualina, carpaccio, vitello tonnato, various cured meats including a rabbit salami, even spicy, and even the focaccia di Recco, also offered as a starter and expertly prepared by Mr Luciano. We continue with trofiette with pesto, made with the house basil, herb ravioli, tagliatelle with ragu and pansotti with walnut sauce.

We wash it all down with excellent Ligurian and Langhe wines, and move on to the main courses, tasting first of all the rabbit Ligurian-style, as well as delicacies such as octopus with potatoes, the buridda of stockfish, the Piedmontese boiled meats, while some of our friends choose a nice grilled meat platter. Our dinner ends with the house tarts, prepared by Mr Luciano, as well as the grandmother's cake with pine nuts and walnuts and the peach pudding. We will certainly return to Garlenda during autumn and winter: besides discovering the charm of the wild face of these places, we are intrigued by the culinary offerings, including goat with beans and wild boar with polenta, as well as the tasty autumn novelty for the young: pizzas, piadine and focacce.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Osteria Trattoria da Luciano Via Roma, 11 Garlenda (SV) Tel.: 0182/582481