Two castles on the sea, where art meets good food: a day in Moneglia

Two small sailing boats are about to leave the harbour, facing a slightly rough sea, floating in an atmosphere suspended between strength, solitude and dream: the famous painting by Carlo Carrà, "Vele nel porto", thus fixes the artist's impressions following his stay in Moneglia in 1921. We reach this splendid municipality of the Ligurian Levante, on the border with the province of La Spezia and included among the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, driving a few kilometres of road through a fascinating old one-lane tunnel with alternating traffic, in which, in Carlo Carrà's day, before the railway line was moved further inland, steam trains still passed.

Coming out of the tunnel, the sight of the sea enchants us and it's not hard to understand why the place, then called Ad Monilia, was already very important in Roman times: it even appears on a historic military map of the Empire of the 11th-12th century. Arriving in the centre, we are immediately pleasantly surrounded by art: we visit the Parish Church of Santa Croce, probably built in 1130, with inside a statue of the Immaculate Conception by Anton Maria Maragliano, and the Last Supper, kept in the sacristy, a work by Luca Cambiaso. Born in Moneglia in 1527, the artist was influenced by Genoese Mannerism, represented above all by Perin del Vaga, a style that Cambiaso, whose birthplace is near the church, developed with great originality. We also visit the Oratory of the Disciplinati, adjacent to the Parish Church, built in the 11th century.

After a few steps through the colourful caruggi of the centre, we return close to the sea, and our gaze is captured by the imposing Fortress of Villafranca, which stands in a very panoramic position. Built by the Republic of Genoa in the 12th century, the fortress is surrounded by perimeter walls with an irregular plan, following the morphology of the ground. As in most of the Riviera localities, the construction of a fort had become necessary to counter the ferocious Saracen attacks. The pirates fired their cannons from their ships against the coast, which is why the lower part of many old houses facing the beach had been considerably widened and strengthened.

In Moneglia they say that even the place names of the hamlets Lemeglio and Comeglio testify to the sad memory of the Saracen attacks: staying at Lemeglio "was better" because it was at a certain distance from the coast, but living at Comeglio was "even better", for the same reason. The western part of the municipality was also defended by a fortress, that of Monleone, erected in 1173 and already the following year besieged by Count Obizzo Malaspina, who however failed to take it. Today some remains are visible, and within the original settlement stands the Art Nouveau castle De Fornari. Not far away we also visit the parish church of San Giorgio, dating back to 1396 and built by Benedictine monks.

After this lovely tour, we return to the heart of the village, and for our dinner too we stay ideally on board the boats of Carrà's painting, settling at the tables of the Ristorante Vela, located in the picturesque Piazza Tarchioni. Before devoting ourselves to the pleasures of authentic Ligurian cuisine, we exchange a few words with the owners, who welcome us with great kindness in a family atmosphere. "Until 1975 this period building housed a small guesthouse. I took over the place that year, turning it into a genuine restaurant, where we mainly cook dishes based on fresh fish," Mr Paolo Compiano tells us, a chef of considerable experience who has run the place for almost forty years with great success, alongside his wife Imelda and their children, chef Fabrizio and Luca, who looks after the Gelateria Bounty next to the restaurant.

We start with a very rich and exquisite seafood starter, a true riot of colours and flavours: seafood salad, anchovies with lemon, cuttlefish with mayonnaise, prawns with pink sauce, baby octopus salad, raw fish and shellfish. We continue with a very tasty plate of spaghetti tossed with clams, while our friends choose the sea bass ravioli alla levantina, the seafood risotto and the classic pansotti. We also taste with great pleasure the ravioli by mamma Imelda. We wash these goodies down with mainly Ligurian wines, including excellent Vermentino and Bianchetta, as well as a few Piedmontese labels such as Gavi, Nebbiolo and Grignolino. We continue with a lovely grilled fish, as well as the chef's scampi alla fantasia, Ligurian fish in salt and the mixed fried fish of the Gulf.

Our day ends with wonderful ice creams prepared by Luca, as well as other tasty desserts such as the chocolate soufflé, and with a romantic stroll along the seafront, where we're sure our sails will bring us back soon.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Vela Piazza Torchioni, 1 Moneglia (GE) Tel.: 0185/49440