A colourful village and the old bridge that leads to good food: a day in Rossiglione

The road that leads from the Po Valley to Genoa Voltri, where the western Ligurian riviera begins, is like a piece of music written with the heart: it starts softly, crossing a landscape of reassuring monotony that gradually, when you reach the first hills of Monferrato, begins to take on more intense tones, opening into a warm melody. Before reaching its peak in the blue harmony of the sea, it passes through its most intense phase, where the notes draw strong feelings and wild emotions, exactly like the breathtaking panorama of the Apennine heights, of the stream that runs fast among the pale rocks, of the thick vegetation of the woods whose dark green is broken by the vivid colours of the typically Ligurian houses and by the white or pink of the bell tower of some ancient little church.

To get to know these lovely places up close, just leave the motorway at Ovada or Masone and reach Rossiglione, a picturesque village with an elongated territory, situated in the Stura valley and part of the Beigua Regional Natural Park. The landscape that today enchants tourists in search of places with an understated charm must also have pleased the first travellers who ventured here millennia ago. Right on the border between Rossiglione and Ovada, the remains of a village dating back to the 5th century BC have been found, inhabited by the Ligurian people. These finds are now kept at the Museum of Ligurian Archaeology in Genoa.

The first references to the municipality, on the other hand, date back to the mid-13th century and over the centuries the fief was ruled by the Marquisate of Monferrato and then ceded by the marquises Del Bosco to the Republic of Genoa, though for a period even the Malaspina held jurisdiction in the area. During our trip we first visit the upper hamlet, also known as Villafranca, where after a stroll under the historic portico of the Case Vignolo we admire some beautiful churches, including the parish church of Santa Caterina, already existing in 1439, inside which several works of art are kept, including a wooden group from 1671 depicting the Madonna degli Angeli and a canvas by the 17th-century painter Bernardo Castello. Rossiglione has always distinguished itself for its excellence in the field of art, but also in that of craftsmanship.

After the unification of Italy, a flourishing textile industry was born here thanks to a cotton spinning mill with a fabric factory. The town has also given birth to some remarkable artists, including the painter Gino Sandri, born in 1892, and the musician Oscar Prudente, also known for his many collaborations with artists such as Dario Fo, Luigi Tenco, Fabrizio De André and Ivano Fossati. We continue our walk in Rossiglione Inferiore, where we admire the parish church of Nostra Signora Assunta, whose original structure was first mentioned in 1301 and which still preserves a rare medieval ogival arch. Its dome and its warm-coloured bell tower, towering over the dark green backdrop of the surrounding mountains, are the most important landmark of the village.

We thus arrive at the oldest core of Rossiglione, crossing on foot a spectacular old bridge that since the end of the 16th century has linked the two banks of the Gargassa stream. In those days the gateway to the town was right here, and you entered the village through this opening by paying a toll. A few metres from the bridge is the oldest house in Rossiglione, which centuries ago was a posting station where travellers stopped to change horses and refresh themselves. Today, within those historic walls, is the Locanda del Ponte, a characteristic trattoria where we decide to stop for dinner, ideally following in the footsteps of the wayfarers of old. Welcoming us with great kindness is Mr Maurizio, the owner who has run the place since June 2014 and who has managed to give the restaurant new life.

Given the fine weather, we sit in the flowering garden, which opens onto a suggestive view of the old bridge, while the characteristic indoor rooms are an inviting location both for intimate dinners and for business meetings or for parties and ceremonies. 'Our menu, which follows the seasonality of the products and also changes according to the availability of fresh fish of the moment, is characterised by dishes of the Ligurian and Monferrato tradition. We use exclusively Piedmontese fassona beef, in season we have mushrooms and game, and we always make the pasta fresh in-house. In our tavern we also offer a typical bistro where you can taste selected cold cuts and cheeses with homemade focaccia, together with excellent wines,' Maurizio explains to us as we begin to enjoy the starters. We begin with Ligurian-style stuffed vegetables and the typical brandacujun of stockfish.

Our friends who prefer meat specialities, on the other hand, choose the exquisite Piedmontese fassona chopped by hand. We continue with an excellent cappon magro, and with the farro paella with seafood. We also very much like the seafood carbonara and the buckwheat fettuccine with prawns and courgettes. Our 'carnivore' friends opt instead for the Ligurian ravioli with a meat touch, while among the main dishes they choose the Milanese veal cutlet on the bone, 'elephant ear' style, and the boned Ligurian rabbit stuffed with salad. Among the fish main courses we cannot resist the breaded and fried anchovies, but the excellent yellowfin tuna fillet in a sesame crust also wins converts, not to mention the Ligurian-style sea bream.

Chatting with the owner, we discover that in spring you can also enjoy the young baby octopus prepared with lemon juice, rosemary, olive oil and white wine: served on a bed of potatoes, they are a real delight. We wash down these treats with selected wines from various Italian regions, from Alto Adige to Tuscany, from Friuli to Sicily. Naturally we also choose some local labels, such as Barbera, Arneis and Dolcetto. Our day in Rossiglione ends with the tasty house desserts and with the decision to come back here more often, perhaps on the occasion of our next trips to the sea.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

La Locanda del Ponte Via Giuseppe Mazzini, 18 Rossiglione (GE) Tel.: 010/924325