Trekking and surfing between art and good food

If we had landed here many centuries ago, we could have witnessed the spectacle of the galleys entering and leaving the port, we would have seen merchants with their mules laden with salt — the precious commodity coming from the salt pans of Levanto — setting off to reach the Po Valley along the mule tracks, the "creuza de ma" immortalised in Fabrizio de André's song. If popular tales are to be trusted, perhaps we could even have walked those underground passages that, it is said, branch out from the castle, linking the ancient manor with the Church of the Santissima Annunziata, with the convent and with the beach.

The past, wrapped in the mysteries of history, today gives way to a cheerful seaside resort at the gateway to the Cinque Terre, on the Ligurian Riviera di Levante, where the spectacle of the sea and nature, as well as the charm of ancient monuments, is more interesting than ever. Levanto, for example, is a paradise for wave surfers. At certain times of the year, especially when the libeccio and maestrale winds blow, thanks to the seabed of its wide gulf — a mix of sand and rock — very high waves can form, even around three metres: this has made it possible to organise top-level surfing events for lovers of "big waves". But the magic of the place also wins over trekking enthusiasts, since the Cinque Terre National Park is easily reachable from Levanto both by train and by ferry.

This time we decide to tackle a less demanding urban trek, which turns out to be an exciting journey through time. Starting from the ancient walls, still partly well preserved, we discover that they were built from 1265, following the invasion of the imperial troops of Frederick II. Although the credit for successfully resisting those attacks belonged to the castle that already existed in 1165, during the period of Malaspina rule, the Republic of Genoa later built another one in the strategic area of the ancient manor. In the well-preserved structure you can see the Ghibelline battlements and the striking round keep. We stay immersed in the medieval atmosphere while also visiting the thirteenth-century municipal Loggia, rebuilt towards the end of the sixteenth century.

Originally the loggia, built on the bank of the old canal-port, was at the centre of the town's commercial life, but it was later buried by materials washed down by the streams. After its reconstruction, it was used as the municipal archive until the eighteenth century. Among the many splendid religious buildings of the town and its hamlets we visit the very ancient Parish Church of Sant'Andrea, built in 1222 and enlarged about two hundred years later. Its characteristic façade with white and black stripes of local white marble and serpentine makes this monument of Gothic architecture unmistakable. We don't know whether the legendary underground corridors really existed, so, in doubt, we reach the Church of the Santissima Annunziata on the surface, of fifteenth-century origin, which preserves inside two precious canvases by Pier Francesco and by Bernardo Strozzi.

The charm of the historic centre wins us over too when it comes to choosing where to treat ourselves to a dinner in the name of local flavours, and here we are at the Ristorante Antico Borgo, in the heart of the town, on via Garibaldi. Despite the central location, it's easy to find parking near the restaurant, and during the short walk to the restaurant you can also admire on the walls "le grottesche", portraits of the patrons of a thirteenth-century inn that once stood in the area. "There used to be warehouses and merchant homes here. This place was renovated ten years ago and I and my partner Marisa have been running it for three years now, along with the important contribution of the excellent chefs Giancarlo and Damiano," the owner, Mr Valter, tells us.

We start with a mixed seafood starter, stuffed mussels, cuttlefish soup in the Ligurian style and anchovies from Monterosso all'ammiraglia. We follow this exquisite starter with the tagliatelle Antico Borgo with the scent of the Cinque Terre, a speciality of the restaurant, but we also taste the green tagliolini with lobster, the white and green fagottini in fish sauce and the unmissable trofie with pesto. We wash these delights down with Ligurian wines, mainly from the Cinque Terre, but we also sip a few other national labels. Among the main courses we delight in a lovely grilled fish, also enjoying the Ligurian-style stewed rabbit and sea bream and sea bass baked in foil. Our evening ends in great sweetness, thanks to the sfogliatina, the Coppa Rubino and the chocolate delight: more than good reasons to return soon to the Levante, to visit Levanto.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Antico Borgo Via Garibaldi, 49 Levanto (SP) Tel.: 0187/800159