In the Footsteps of Thor Heyerdahl, from Kon-Tiki to Colla Micheri: A Day in Andora

An old local proverb goes like this: "Andora, whoever looks for it does not find it". In reality the phrase sums up the essence of this extraordinary town located at the westernmost point of the Riviera delle Palme: to find it and to know it you have to look for it in its ancient hamlets immersed in the scent of olive trees and aromatic herbs; you have to walk its winding paths that climb up to the heights where the gaze can range among colourful houses, countless flowers and the endless crystal-clear blue of the sea. We begin to discover Andora, probably founded in the 8th century BC, with a walk along the seafront. At Marina di Andora we visit the parish church of Santa Matilde and the one dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Centuries ago frequent pirate raids came from the sea, so to defend the town several bastions and sturdy walls were built.

Again for the same reason, the first settlement of Andora arose on the heights of the hamlet of Castello, historically called Paraxo and still the most suggestive nucleus of the town. Before visiting it, we go to discover a few other hamlets: at Rollo we visit the fortified house, built in the 16th century, for defence against pirates. Moving inland, at San Bartolomeo we admire the church of the same name, known for its bell tower standing a good 56 metres high, the second tallest in Liguria. We thus reach one of the most suggestive stops of our walk: the hamlet of Castello. Behind the walls, now in a ruined state, of the ancient residence, we can try to imagine scenes from the life of the marquises of Clavesana, of whom in the 12th century the Paraxo was the residence.

At a certain point we notice some slate tablets set into the wall that runs alongside the path climbing towards the heart of the village, on which poems are carved: this is the wonderful itinerary of the Pietre di Luna. Verse after verse, the poetic path leads us to the point where a breathtaking vision opens before us: the splendid church of Saints James and Philip, built in the 12th century in Romanesque style with the stones of Capo Mele, and resembling the Cathedral of San Michele in Albenga, with the suggestive medieval Gate-Tower alongside. After the path in verses, the time comes to face, at least ideally, a true exotic expedition following in the footsteps of the famous Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl. The legendary figure of the Kon-Tiki expedition, when he discovered the hamlet of Colla Micheri, said this: "I have spent my life exploring the world.

But when I arrived in this place I had no hesitation: my house would be built in this little paradise." The village of Colla Micheri thus became the second homeland of the great explorer, who died right there in 2002. The inhabitants who knew him recount that the village owes precisely to the famous anthropologist its fortune in becoming one of the favourite destinations of tourists visiting the western Ligurian coast. In 1814, on the other hand, the same hamlet hosted Pope Pius VII, on his return from exile in France. The little church of San Sebastiano still preserves the chair on which the pontiff is said to have sat. In ancient times, linking this village and the castle was the splendid Roman bridge over the Merula stream, with its humpbacked arches.

Our day continues right in Colla Micheri, where we arrive by taking a suggestive road from which views open over the coast and the terraces, following a friendly sign that points to a mule track. We leave the car in the spacious panoramic car park from which a breathtaking view opens over the island of Gallinara, and we walk into the ancient village. Among the narrow little streets, immersed in the vivid colours of bougainvillea and oleanders, walking under the stone arches and among the houses that have seen centuries of history, it seems that time has stood still. It is in this dimension full of charm and history that we also stop for dinner, at the Osteria Colla Micheri, located a few steps from Thor Heyerdahl's former home.

In the years when the famous explorer ploughed the oceans aboard his Inca-inspired balsa-wood vessel, the Kon-Tiki, here in Colla Micheri, in the same premises where the osteria is today, an oil mill run by the Cavassa family was active. As we settle at our table right next to the old millstone, we have the pleasure of exchanging a few words with the owners, Davide Lanfredi and his parents, Giuseppina Cavassa and Luciano Lanfredi. "The oil mill ceased operations in 1955, then around 1958 my grandfather turned the premises into a bar, frequented by many tourists and foreigners. Gradually the place was modernised, becoming an osteria in 2012," the owners tell us. Although the business has kept pace with the times, it has lost nothing of its ancient charm.

Right where we are sitting, a mule once walked around the millstone, while a few metres from our table we can still admire the original press. As we eat, our gaze can also range over the characteristic vaults of the ancient building, lingering on the paintings made from photographs of a series of views of the village. The cuisine, both from the sea and the land, follows the Ligurian tradition, whose flavours are re-proposed with imagination and sometimes with a touch of modernity. We begin by tasting Ligurian pizzas and focaccia made at home with fresh hand-rolled dough, as well as green pies and trombetta-courgette omelettes. We also taste exquisite fried anchovies and octopus with potatoes.

Among the first courses we taste mezze penne or spaghetti dressed in various ways: with parsley pesto without cheese, with a delicious cream of trombetta courgettes with clams and mussels, with swordfish or shellfish, but some also choose first courses not based on fish, including trofie with potatoes and beans, with homemade pesto, with walnut sauce or pesto lasagne. We also very much like the ragù prepared as it was once done, cooked for two hours on the stove. We wash down these delicacies with excellent zero-kilometre wines from the Cantine Praiè of Colla Micheri, produced with the grapes of Arma di Taggia. We continue with exquisite baked flans made in various ways: with potatoes and salt cod, with fresh tomato and anchovies with the addition of Grana, breadcrumbs and chopped parsley, or with trombetta courgettes and sea bream.

We cannot even resist the buridda of salt cod, and some of us enjoy a fine fry of fresh fish. Our "carnivore" friends instead choose between Ligurian rabbit, beef morsels with beer, veal roasts with herbs and goat rostelle, that is goat fillet skewers. Finally, we can only give in to the sweet temptations of the homemade desserts, including a fresh watermelon carpaccio with berries, semifreddos with amaretto, meringue or nougat, as well as sponge cake and delicious cakes and tarts. After discovering this wonderful corner of Liguria, we think exactly like Heyerdahl: wherever the "expeditions" of our lives may take us, we will always return to this suggestive village of eternal charm.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Osteria Colla Micheri Località Colla Micheri, Andora (SV) Tel.: 0182/499590