Fishing gozzi and the mezzo marinaio: a day in Celle Ligure

When spring arrives, the wish inevitably comes to pop over to the places where the Sun is at home, where even its weakest April rays seem like those of July, because they are amplified by the vivid colours of the houses facing the sea. We are in the province of Savona, and while the capital is known as the “City of the Popes”, thanks to no fewer than two Popes from Savona, Sixtus IV and his nephew Julius II, we discover that in reality Sixtus IV was born in 1414 in a hamlet of Celle Ligure called Pecorile. He is the Pontiff from whom the Sistine Chapel takes its name, which precisely during the pontificate of Julius II was frescoed by Michelangelo. The scent of the sea accompanies us also during the visit to the most important religious monument of Celle, the Church of San Michele Arcangelo.

In fact, the churchyard in front of the church is made up of a mosaic of over half a million white and black sea pebbles, collected from 1894 by Don Agostino Delfino and his pupils on the shoreline between Camogli and Albisola. The stones were brought to Celle with fishing gozzi. Inside the church there are very precious works of art, including the polyptych “San Michele e i Santi”, painted in 1535 by Perin del Vaga, a pupil of Raphael. According to legend, the work would be an ex-voto dedicated by the painter to Saint Michael for having found salvation on the beach of Celle Ligure after a shipwreck. Historical facts, however, report that the work had been commissioned from the artist by the fishermen of Celle. Celle Ligure is mentioned in documents for the first time in 1014, and in the XII century its territory passed to the Marquisate of Ponzone.

And it was precisely Pietro Ivaldi, known as the Muto di Toleto, as a native of the hamlet of Toleto di Ponzone, the homeland of the filetto baciato among the hills of the Upper Monferrato of Acqui, who created the famous series of paintings depicting episodes from the life of Christ inside the Church of San Michele Arcangelo of Celle. During our stay we visited several of the numerous other fine churches, including the Oratory of San Michele and the Church of San Giorgio in the hamlet of Sanda. And it is precisely from Sanda that one of the most exciting tourist itineraries of Celle departs, the Botanical Path, which leads up to the place where the historic Torre Bregalla stood, called Torre di Cardemei, built on a ridge at 261 metres of altitude as a coastal lookout point to defend against the pirate raids that in the sixteenth century had considerably intensified.

On the seafront we also admire the Church of Nostra Signora della Consolazione, formerly the seat of the convent of Santa Maria della Grotta, characterised by the typically Ligurian striped exterior decoration. Moving by car towards the west, a breathtaking view of the sea opens up and a stunning view of the colourful houses of Celle facing the beach. Precisely on that panoramic stretch of the Strada statale dell'Aurelia we notice the inviting terrace of the Ristorante Mezzo Marinaio, where we decide to stop for dinner. The evening is particularly mild, so we choose to sit, rather than in the lovely bright interior room, on the sea-view terrace: a beautiful way to bring summer closer. We start with a very tasty Ligurian starter, tasting stuffed anchovies with salt cod fritters, stuffed squid and a little soup of mussels, clams, smooth clams and razor clams.

While we choose the first courses, we chat with the owner Marco, who runs the restaurant with the help of his mother Gabriella, who takes care of the kitchen. “We opened about three years ago and one of the things that sets us apart is the utmost care for details. The pasta is homemade, the fish dishes change according to the catch of the day, and as for the pizzas, which are one of our strong points, we do not focus so much on strange toppings but on the excellent quality of the dough, which must be leavened for at least 36 hours”, he tells us. Some of us in fact choose the very good pizzas, while the rest of the group goes on with the excellent tagliolini with artichokes and prawns of Oneglia, the gnocchi with a sauce of baby squid and the very typical corzetti al pesto.

We wash it all down with excellent mainly white wines, coming not only from Liguria but also from Friuli, Veneto, Trentino, and Franciacorta as well. Among the mains we taste the monkfish with artichokes and potatoes, the mixed fried fish, which this time includes anchovies and squid, and the pink prawns of the area. We also taste the tasty dressed stockfish, stewed with potatoes, olives, tomatoes and pine nuts. To finish on a sweet note, we enjoy the highly sought-after house tiramisù, as well as the Neapolitan pastiera and semi-freddi with amaretto and coffee. These delicacies will certainly be among those numerous good reasons that will soon bring us back to Celle Ligure.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Pizzeria Mezzo Marinaio Via Aurelia di Ponente, 8 Celle Ligure (SV) Tel.: 019/991998