Road to Rome

Santa Margherita, Italy – May 16, 2010:  Buongiorno friends – We’ve stopped for a few days on our way to Rome in some amazing places. Santa Margherita, not far from Genoa and on the coast, is home base. This beautiful little seaside town is build on an inlet in the Gulf of Tiquillin, opening to the sea. Built in 603, it took the Christian name Santa Margherita from Catholic saint. Her ashes are preserved in the village. Santa Margherita sparkles day and night.

At sunset the ancient churches, each belltower tolling, the palazzos, and narrow buildings are washed in gold. This is a fishing village and the harbor is filled with the unique colorful small boats that dot the water early in the morning. One afternoon we watched three little schoolboys, recently released, fishing from the pier with nothing more than string and bread. Laughing, hooting, when they finally caught a fish it was huge!

The harbor’s filled with great white yachts, too. Outdoor cafes along the water serve fresh seafood (wonder who ate the kid’s fish?) Specialties like a delicious pasta with clam sauce–which includes tiny succulent clams in their shells–small rock lobster, anything made with olives, and a local bread that melts in your mouth. It you love anchovies (you either love them or hate them, I know)…but if you do like them, they are the best here, marinated in lemon, fatter and less briny then in the US. They’re a favorite snack in this area.

From Santa Margherita we took the ferry to Portofino–a fifteen minute ride. Portofino, home of the rich and famous, is luxurious in every way–the beauty of this place makes you think you stepped right into a picture. Iconic colorful pastel buildings. On cliffs above the center of town and the harbor are villas, grand hotels, carefully tended farms. Hazlenut and juniper trees, heather, thyme and myrtle infuse the salt sea air with their perfume. Portofino was originally a fishing village, but it’s too beautiful to leave tucked away at the end of this rocky promotory, so tourism is now the business.

Jimmy and I had lunch on an open terrace above the harbor–a dream-like experience. A sailing race was on that day and we sat in the sun and watched the boats and continued eating our way through Italy. Jimmy had the most interesting dish–a seafood salad with octopus, clams, calamari, local shrimp, mussels, and rock lobster, all soaked in a tangy sauce of olive oil, lemon, and peppery spices. I had gnocchi – it’ll fatten you up, but you’ll be happy.

On the train to Cinque Terre–an area of five villages built on cliffs over the sea–a funny sight: young girl about 12 strutting up and down the aisle, speaking loudly on her cell phone, flipping her hair back every minute or so, trying her best to catch the attention of three older and glamourous teenage girls. I said to Jimmy “I wonder who she’s talking to with such drama.” He slanted his eyes at me and shrugged: “To the Queen of Italy, of course.”

Also on the train to Cinque Terre I was surrounded by young Gypsy girls and would have lost my wallet if Jimmy hadn’t gotten to me so fast. The jostling and loud chatter confuses, and two of them carried babies, that later on we realized were dolls! My purse zipper was open and wallet half out when they disappeared. This is a constant threat in train stations and on the train. They’ll jump on–surround you–and jump off before you know what happened.

Cinque Terre- There’s a local train that you can hop on and off, or you can hike along the cliffs from village to village. The UN has given this area global protected status for the beauty of these villages, only several miles apart. They were built, some thousands of years ago, high up on the rocks to protect from pirates. The people live vertically, not horizontally!! Vernazza was the most spectacular of all. Here you’ll see the violence of the sea below as waves crash on the rocks. The cliffs are carved into terraces supported by ancient bricks, for farming olives, grapes, and porcini mushrooms. I took the picture of the waves breaking below, with flowers above, from a tower in the Castello Dorio.

In an outdoor cafe in the center of Vernazza near the water, Jimmy and I ordered a local favorite dish, pasta and pesto, delicious! The pesto is made with olice oil (be sure to use extra virgin) mixed with basil, grated parmasean, pine nuts, and fresh marjorum. If you try it, let me know how it comes out!

On Monday we take a Eurostar fast train from Rapallo, four miles from Santa Margherita, on to Rome for the SCAVI tour at the Vatican. This is the tour to see the first apostle’s crypt and bones. If you want to do this be aware that you need to reserve a place at least eight or nine months in advance.  We can’t take pictures inside, but I’ll report all and we’ll have pictures of the Mamertine, the cave-like prison in which it’s believed that Peter and Paul were both held before their deaths.

Until then – Ciao! Pamela