The Unsung Heroes of the Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore Mural

A Homage to the Unsung Heroes of Cinque Terre: In the centre of the Riomaggiore village, in front of the very modern Tourist Information Office, is a huge colourful mural by Silvio Benedetto. The mural tells the story of the men and women who over several generations and thousands of years built and maintained more [...]

Genovese Pesto Recipe – Liguria

Jars of Pesto - Cinque Terre

Genoa is the birthplace of Pesto: The Ligurian region is the birthplace of the Pesto sauce.  More precisely, it was in Genoa, on the north Ligurian coast, that Pesto originated. Basil, a main ingredient of pesto sauce, grows well in the Ligurian temperate climate. Travelling around Liguria, you’ll see that this sauce is used extensively [...]

Trofie al Pesto – a Ligurian Specialty

Trofie al Pesto - Ligurian specialty

A Typical Ligurian Pesto Pasta Dish: Trofie pasta is a Ligurian specialty and this is one dish that you’ll find on most restaurant menus. Trofie is often served with pesto (Trofie al Pesto) which is also a specialty of the Ligurian region. In fact, Liguria is the birthplace of pesto which uses basil as its [...]

Food in Northwest Italy

Food in Northwest Italy: a brief gastronomical tour! Liguria; Valle D’Aosta and Piedmont; Lombardy Portofino (Cinque Terre); Genoa; Asti; Turin; Aosta; Vercelli; Milan; Cremona; Mantua; Stresa (Lake Maggiore); Como It may be on the Italian side of the border, but the cuisine of Valle d’Aosta and Piedmont is strongly influenced by neighbouring France, as is [...]