Trekking through the colours and flavours of the ancient Ligurian trails: a day in Deiva Marina

Seaside or mountain holidays? One of the best answers to the eternal dilemma is to go to Deiva Marina. While sea lovers can enjoy the beaches of the very well-known seaside resort of the Ligurian Riviera di Levante, possibly even trying "palamito" fishing, a method widespread among the rocks of this sea, mountain fans will find plenty to sink their teeth into on the highly panoramic trekking trails that reach very high peaks such as Monte San Nicolao, at 847 m above sea level, or Monte Pietra di Vasca, at 801 metres, from which a breathtaking panorama opens up from the coast to the Apuan Alps and Monte Gottero.

Between sheer drops over the sea and stretches immersed in chestnut woods, you can even set foot on a pass that was already of great strategic importance in Roman times: the Passo del Bracco, which at 615 metres of altitude links the Cinque Terre with the La Spezia hinterland and the Tigullio. We begin to discover this many-faceted locality starting from the old town, which develops around the Church of Sant'Antonio Abate, built in 1730 and decorated inside in Baroque style. We discover that the first document testifying to settlements in the area dates back to 774, but already centuries earlier a population of Lombard origin was present in the territory. From the 11th century the maritime trade activities intensified, to the point of encouraging the construction of a second village, Marina.

Although trade by sea was the lifeblood of Deiva Marina, the sea was also a significant source of danger, because of Saracen raids. So here too, as a little all along the Riviera, watchtowers were built. One of them, the one with a square base, stands in front of the parish church, while the other, cylindrical in shape, guards the coast near the seaside lido. In the historic centre of Deiva we also admire the Oratory of San Giovanni Battista, and our journey continues back through local history. In fact, the first to be inhabited were the present-day hillside villages of Mezzema, Piazza, Passano and Caraschi. It was then the people of these places who decided to build the village of Deiva near the sea. So we decide to visit the very ancient Mezzema, a picturesque village whose bright colours stand out amid the thick vegetation and are easily identifiable even from the motorway.

The hamlet is an oasis of peace where, strolling through the carrugi, you can admire splendid hilly panoramas emerging between the houses. We visit the Parish Church of San Michele Arcangelo, built around the 7th or 8th century, which preserves inside a statue of San Michele Arcangelo by the sculptor Anton Maria Maragliano, as well as a precious seventeenth-century painting. We stay in the ancient hamlet of Mezzema for dinner too, wanting to taste the local specialities at the historic Trattoria Marchi "Da u Baccin". Some period photos on the walls capture the trattoria's past. "We're now the fourth generation; it began with my great-grandfather, Carniglia Battista, at the beginning of the twentieth century. At that time it was a small guesthouse and grocery shop, a sort of staging post.

The business was continued by my grandfather Brunone Marchi and later by my father Giovanni Marchi with my mother Maria. It was my parents who turned the place into a trattoria around 1950-52," the owner, Mr Federico Marchi, who has run it since 1992, tells us. The atmosphere is family-like, where home cooking combines with excellent value for money. We start with stuffed vegetables, vegetable tartlets and the typical fried bread with cured meats. Some of us choose the seafood starters, including stuffed mussels, anchovy cutlet and stuffed anchovies with borage. We continue with exquisite first courses all prepared with homemade pasta, tasting the tagliatelle with mushrooms, the borage ravioli and the cappellacci with pesto, made with pasta that is half chestnut and half white flour.

We also taste the mandilli, which resemble lasagne and can be dressed either with pesto or with mushroom sauce. The ravioli stuffed with stockfish with tomato sauce, capers, olives and pine nuts are also much appreciated. We wash these specialities down with excellent Ligurian wines, including the Rossetto di Mezzema. Among the main courses, the Ligurian-style rabbit and the cima are unmissable, as well as the roast, the roast beef, the mixed fried fish Italian-style and the exquisite fried anchovies. We finish in great sweetness, sinking our teeth into a jam tart, as well as the tart with ricotta, raisins and pieces of chocolate, but we also taste the Margherita cake, the tiramisù and the puff pastry with Nutella and cream.

We're sure that the authentic flavours and the beauty of these places steeped in history will bring us back here soon, perhaps even when the chestnut woods dress in the colours of autumn.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Trattoria Marchi Loc. Pinolo, fraz. Mezzema Deiva Marina (SP) Tel.: 0187/815829