In the homeland of cheese focaccia: a day in Recco

When the ancient Romans arrived in the Golfo Paradiso, they discovered a splendid spot inhabited by the Ligurian family of the Casmoriti. They decided to found the village of Recina right there, where the scent of flowers surrounds a breathtaking view of the sea, which after some time began to fill with splendid sailing ships and galleys. In fact, Recco, one of the most beloved villages of the Ligurian Levante, had become one of the most important naval and seafaring centres in the area during the Republic of Genoa. We reach Recco, a town famous for its legendary cheese focaccia, by travelling a stretch of the ancient Via Aurelia. We start our little tour of the centre from the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora del Suffragio, built in the eighteenth century on the site of an ancient oratory.

The church, small in size but with a remarkable bell tower, is just a few metres from the Recco stream, and every year, on 7 and 8 September, it takes centre stage in the celebration in honour of the Madonna del Suffragio. On the occasion of the feast the Sagra del fuoco is held, with firework displays and firing of the "mascoli", the ancient Ligurian mortars. In the centre we visit the Parish Church of Saints John the Baptist and John Bono. Although in the historical photographs of Recco a different church stands in the same spot, one dating from 1822, today's place of worship is a modern building, consecrated in 1951, with a travertine façade decorated by a stunning mosaic. This fact is one of many in Recco that bear witness to the tragic bombings of 1943, when many of the town's historic buildings were destroyed.

In the preceding centuries the dangers came instead from the sea, in particular from pirates, who attacked and devastated Recco no fewer than twice, in 1557 and in 1646. To defend themselves from the raids of the Saracens, and in particular from the terrible pirate Dragut, at that time the people of Recco built a castle next to an oratory, today's Sanctuary of San Michele, which overlooks the sea and is the seat of one of the oldest confraternities in Liguria, founded in 1399 when the White pilgrims of Provence, on their way to Rome, left a crucifix of theirs in Recco, still kept today at the Sanctuary. A short distance away, the convent complex of San Francesco, built in 1496, overlooks the gulf.

The town of Recco is made up of no fewer than nine hamlets, and we visit some of them, in particular Megli, where the Church of Nostra Signora delle Grazie stands, keeping what is claimed to be a relic, a thorn from the crown of Jesus. After this fine journey through history, we decide to stop for dinner at the renowned Ristorante Manuelina, on Via Roma. We settle into the elegant, spacious dining room and, as we begin to study the menu, we chat with Mrs Cristina, who runs the place together with her brothers Cesare and Gloria and with her father Gianni. "This restaurant turned 125 in 2010. My great-grandmother Manuelina opened it in 1885, starting to prepare the traditional dishes of Recco, using exclusively local produce.

The best-known dish of Recco and of our restaurant is cheese focaccia, and it was Manuelina herself who first offered it to the public in the form in which it is known today. Housewives used to make focaccia for the feasts of All Saints and the Dead, but it was not prepared in bakeries or taverns. Today cheese focaccia is the pride of our restaurant, and we can say that it is a genuine dish of haute cuisine," Mrs Cristina tells us. In the Twenties, great figures of international aristocracy, but also of show business, came here to spend the winter. And whoever got up at night to open the tavern and prepare them the best cheese focaccia in the world was always Manuelina.

It is a great pleasure for us too to enjoy the wonderful typical focaccias of Recco, as well as the other specialities of the restaurant, among typical Ligurian dishes, fresh fish, and a few slightly more innovative dishes, all always created with seasonal local produce. As a starter we enjoy squid sautéed with broccoli and artichokes and small squids stuffed with stockfish. We continue with pansotti in walnut sauce, another dish of the Ligurian tradition that Ristorante Manuelina had revived in the 1960s, arousing curiosity and admiration. We also taste the fresh-egg maccheroni with gurnard, thyme, lemon and Taggiasca olives, and the goat's cheese ravioli with butter, hazelnuts and Alba truffle. We follow these delicious first courses with the cappon magro and the fillet of sea bream in a crust of Pantelleria capers with pumpkin cream.

We end the dinner on a very sweet note with a cocoa and prescinseua pudding, and a meringue semifreddo with Bronte pistachio. As for the great figures of the past, this little holiday in Recco was for us too a beautiful experience to repeat. Francesca Bertha FOR INFORMATION: Ristorante Manuelina Via Roma, 296 Recco (GE) Tel.: 0185/74128 0185/720779