A Dream of History, Outdoor Adventure and Seafood: A Trip to Finale Ligure

When, driving along the scenic Via Aurelia, you notice tall walls of limestone rock plunging into the sea, with daring climbers on top, it means you have arrived in Finale Ligure. The ancient Locus Finalis, meaning border place, is today a paradise for sports lovers: the capital of outdoor sports and a European Town of Sport. This time we choose to tackle a simple and fascinating urban trek, discovering the varied and vast territory of Finale, which comprises three main centres, until 1927 separate municipalities: Finalmarina, Finalpia and Finalborgo, the capital of the historic Marquisate of Finale, surrounded by fifteenth-century walls. We also visit some of the hamlets, including Perti, known for its Rocca, and Varigotti, famous for its characteristic fishermen's houses on the seafront.

This splendid landscape with its mild climate had also appealed to prehistoric man, who lived in the caves of the area. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, on the paths now trodden by tourists, elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers and even the occasional mammoth roamed. Our itinerary is a genuine "castle to castle" route; indeed, Finale Ligure has no fewer than three castles. Finalborgo is dominated by Castel San Giovanni, a fortress built between 1640 and 1645 on the ruins of a fifteenth-century tower. In the hamlet of Perti stands Castel Gavone, built from 1181, which was once one of the largest castles in Italy. The fortress, to which in 1490 the splendid Torre dei Diamanti was added, was destroyed several times over the course of history. Castelfranco, on the other hand, was commissioned by the Republic of Genoa in 1365, and its bastions once reached the coast of Finale Marina.

In the town there are also several characteristic watchtowers, one of which, on the hill above Varigotti, even features in the comic book "Paperino e la notte del Saraceno". During our walk we also admire many wonderful churches, including the baroque Basilica Collegiata di San Giovanni Battista in Finale Marina, the Basilica di San Biagio, protector of wool carders, an ancient Finale trade, located in Finalborgo, and the Church of Santa Maria in Finale Pia, with the adjoining sixteenth-century Benedictine abbey. After this lovely tour we decide to immerse ourselves in Ligurian seafaring culture at Ristorante Il Sogno, on Via Brunenghi. We find parking easily and settle into the elegant room overlooking a lovely garden. We choose the specialities recommended by the chef, a true expert of the underwater world.

"We only use fish we buy from the fishermen, often at the fish auction, thus guaranteeing an excellent quality-price ratio. The menu changes every day and we also make the bread and focaccia in-house," Shpetim Xhakosi tells us, who runs the restaurant together with his wife Flora and his brother-in-law Erion. Winner of the 2012 edition of the Premio Ferrer Manuelli, a prestigious cooking competition, Shpetim was born and raised by the sea, arriving in Italy from Albania with the 1991 landings. "My passion for the sea led me to the Savona area, and we opened Ristorante Il Sogno in 2004 in Borgio Verezzi, then in 2010 we moved to this lovely venue," he explains. We begin with a stockfish salad with boiled vegetables and Genoese green sauce, a bonito tartare with fresh tomato concassé and soy sauce, and a brisée pastry tartlet with leeks and Ligurian formaggetta cream.

We also taste the trombetta squash velouté with fried prawn tails, a mussel and clam stew, mantis shrimp and croutons, and red mullet fillets with artichokes, coated in cornflakes. After this rich appetiser we enjoy Gragnano spaghetti with Imperia purple prawns, datterino tomatoes and basil, the double fish raviolo with red mullet ragù and toasted pine nuts, fresh maltagliati served with shelled mussels and clams, scented with saffron, and Gragnano linguine with Ligurian anchovies, capers, Taggiasca olives and marjoram. "Anchovies love light and on dark nights they are caught with the lampara, that is, caught when they rise to the surface because the sea is lit up with big lamps," Shpetim reveals as we begin to enjoy a lovely mixed fried fish.

Our friends choose a rollè of swordfish, filleted and stuffed with artichokes, sautéed in the pan, a fish soup with wrasse, monkfish, prawns, mussels and clams, and Ligurian squid stuffed with vegetable ratatouille, cooked in a casserole. Finally, many sweet emotions thanks to the desserts, all homemade: the cassata with ricotta, candied fruit and amarene cherries, served with dark chocolate, pear tarts with ice cream, the chocolate fondant with a soft centre and rum cream, and, dulcis in fundo, the "Dolce Sogno", a selection of five sweet tastings to share between two people.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Facebook: Ristorante Il Sogno Via Brunenghi, 151 Finale Ligure (SV) Tel.: 019/695472