When the wind of art blows in from the sea: a day in Bogliasco

One summer afternoon in the 17th century, a little girl from the village had managed to slip out of her house that looked out over the sea. Drawn by the splendour of that immense blue horizon, she made her way to the beach and decided to climb the rocks. Although she was nimble, all at once, when she had already reached a certain height, her little foot slipped on the wet stone and the child fell. Everyone feared the worst, but someone noticed a sudden flash of light in the sky and was filled with a sense of immense serenity: a miraculous intervention by the Virgin Mary saved the little girl. Near the place of the legendary event stands today the Sanctuary of Nostra Signora delle Grazie, whose origins date back to 1685, and many believe that the original chapel was built to thank the Madonna for the miracle.

It is equally likely that the little church was erected during the plague that raged in Bogliasco and along the Ligurian Riviera in 1657. Our autumn outing to this charming seaside village, set in the Golfo Paradiso just a stone's throw from Genoa, begins right at the Sanctuary, and continues through the characteristic caruggi that wind between the colourful houses, in search of numerous other historical traces. Among the oldest of these is certainly the Roman bridge, whose evocative arch crosses the Bogliasco stream almost at the mouth. In ancient times the stream was in fact called Rio dei Bogli, meaning boiling river, because the water, descending in small cascades, creates a foaming effect.

After a stroll among the fishermen's boats on the seafront, we cross the bridge to find ourselves right on the Strada degli Artisti: an uphill route that, step by step, lets us admire bas-reliefs and other works inspired by the area, against the backdrop of a breathtaking view of the sea. That sea, which today is a major tourist attraction, was once a source of danger because of the frequent pirate raids by the Saracens. A short distance from the Roman bridge we admire the Oratory of Santa Chiara, dating from 1403 and dedicated to the saint in memory of her famous miracle with which she drove the Saracens out of Assisi. The people of Bogliasco, unable to do the same, often took refuge in the hamlet of Sessarego, set inland and at the time not even visible from the sea.

During our walk we also visit the splendid parish Church of the Nativity of Mary Most Holy, dating from the 12th century. Besides the precious works of art it preserves inside, including sculptures by Anton Maria Maragliano, its large churchyard is also worth admiring, built in 1767 in white and black stones smoothed by the sea according to the Ligurian tradition that calls this kind of outdoor paving "risseu". We stay in the characteristic part of Bogliasco, near the Roman bridge, for dinner too, stopping at Ristorante Il Melograno, on via Mazzini. The bright, elegant setting and the kindness of the Paoloni family, the owners, immediately put us at ease. On every table a pomegranate smiles at the diners, but the pomegranate motif is recognisable also in the paintings on the walls. "We have been restaurateurs for fifty years; for a long time we ran another place in the area.

Since January we have devoted ourselves to this restaurant with a seafood menu that is devised every day with seasonal ingredients and fish caught daily. In our dishes we favour freshness and simplicity," the owners explain to us. We begin with a traditional warm seafood salad with vegetables, and a medley of shellfish with cherry tomatoes and onion. We also taste an excellent red seafood stew. Among the first courses we enjoy the risotto del Melograno with shellfish bisque, and some dishes of fresh homemade pasta: linguine with juvenile fish and fettuccine with prawns, clams and broccoli. We pair these treats with regional wines, but also some national labels including Tuscan and Friulian ones, as well as French.

We continue with the seafood dishes, based on the day's catch, choosing the red mullet filleted with pink pepper, the morone fish with capers and cherry tomatoes, but the noble shellfish with garden vegetables also meet with great success. Thanks to the Tuscan origins of the management, our "carnivore" friends can delight in a magnificent certified Chianina grilled with raw oil. To round off this succulent dinner, which also gratifies us with its excellent value for money, we treat ourselves to the homemade desserts: the delizie del bosco with cold zabaione, the almond cake with Cointreau cream, and the small pastries. We go home humming a song by Umberto Bindi, a native of Bogliasco: "with the wind that will come warm from the sea, follow the wind and you will come to me": we will certainly return soon to feel the caresses of the wind of this sea.

Francesca Bertha

PER INFORMAZIONI:

Ristorante Il Melograno Via G. Mazzini, 96 Bogliasco (GE) Tel.: 010/3474226