A round world of village, pizzas and cakes: a trip to Varese Ligure

An orange house, a yellow one, a pink one, a green one and a cream-coloured one. All set along the perimeter of an ellipse that encloses a striking square and, a short distance away, a fine castle. If you asked a child to draw a fairy-tale town, they would probably imagine something like this. Instead, the famous Round Village of Varese Ligure is the work of the imagination of none other than the Fieschi, who, having settled towards the end of the 12th century in what is now the hamlet of Cassego, began to clear the area and started farming and livestock activities. After getting the better of the Pinelli family, at the end of the 13th century the Fieschi decided to found a village that could become the hub of the whole area, and in the design they gave ample room to their artistic imagination, creating a ring of walled, porticoed houses arranged in an elliptical shape.

Our walk among the colours of the municipality with the largest territory in the entire province of La Spezia, part of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy and awarded the orange flag of the Touring Club, as well as an important ISO certification proving its total environmental sustainability, begins right at the medieval castle. Arriving in the village, it is impossible not to notice it at once: the manor, today often the venue of cultural events, stands along the main road. The castle was built in two stages: the first tower, the tallest one, called Torre del Piccinino, was built in 1435 following a siege by the mercenary captain Niccolò Piccinino. The tower originally had a drawbridge and was considered among the most modern of its time. The other tower, called “di Manfredo Landi”, lower and cylindrical in shape, was erected during the rule of the Landi, between 1472 and 1479.

Although it was the Round Village that made Varese Ligure famous, today the town is also appreciated for the wide green expanse of the Val di Vara that surrounds it and that tourists from the Cinque Terre gladly come to discover on outings. Our urban trek continues with the discovery of the Civic Tower: it is what remains of the complex of the Augustinian church and convent of Santa Croce, erected in 1563. The convent, to which a hospital was attached, was definitively closed in 1797, during the Napoleonic rule. The parish church of the main town today is the 17th-century Church of San Giovanni Battista, and the other church, which already existed in the days of the Augustinian convent, is the one dedicated to Saints Philip Neri and Teresa of Ávila, and stands in the square in front of the Fieschi square.

But before Napoleon a lot of water had passed under the bridges, and it is precisely a beautiful single-arch bridge, originally from 1515 and located in the historic Grecino district, a place name of clear Greek origin, that reminds us of the existence of a Byzantine settlement whose finds have been identified beneath the castle. We stay in the immediate vicinity of the old town for dinner too, taking our seats at the tables of the Ristorante Pizzeria L’Incontro, in via M. Caranza, on the former S.S. 523 just a few steps from the old town. “Our restaurant is family-run, and before opening it in 1995 we ran a supermarket, so we had come to catering already knowing the food sector in depth.

Today this background allows us always to choose quality ingredients,” Mr Luca tells us; he runs the restaurant with his girlfriend Nadia, who waits tables, with the precious help of his mother Gianna in the kitchen, and other staff. Part of our group decides to enjoy the excellent pizzas, also available by the metre. One of the tastiest is the Pizza Ghiotta with tomato, mozzarella, aubergines, spicy salami and Grana, but we also try some richly stuffed calzoni as well as the legendary focaccia with cheese. The rest of the group chooses from the à la carte menu, some starting with the Incontro starter, some with a tasty board of cold cuts, and some with the house seafood salad.

We continue with ravioli alla boscaiola, herb tortelli in walnut sauce, ravioli with ragù, as well as Ligurian gnocchetti with gorgonzola, all delicious first courses that we follow with the unmissable grills, very generous and truly finger-licking. Here comes the “L’Incontro” mixed grill, with French fries, skewer, chop, sausage, cutlet and various sauces, not to mention the fantastic Spiedone made with pork. A friend of ours opts for the white grill, with chicken and turkey breast, skewer, French fries and sauces. Finally, we gladly give in to sweet temptations including panna cotta and tiramisù, as well as tasty strawberry and berry cakes, which in winter are made with pears or figs. After this lovely day we are sure that from now on even cakes will make us think of the Round Village, which we will soon visit again.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Pizzeria L’Incontro Via M. Caranza Varese Ligure (SP) Infoline: 0187/842191 Facebook: L’incontro Varese Ligure Email: lincontro.pizzeria@yahoo.it Google Maps: