PLet’s start with dinner last night. We walked down the hill to the restaurant we were hoping to eat at, arriving just before its posted opening time. I even took a photo of Al editing outside. Then the owner(?) came out to ask if we had a reservation and tell us they were fully booked for this evening. Al asked for suggestions and I added that we were on foot.
He first asked if we had lights, then told us to take the path over the bridge, follow it past the soccer field, then take another bridge and that would bring us into Recco where there were many restaurants to choose from. What a nice fellow!
We followed his instructions and went to the first restaurant we saw. It turned out to be a good choice. Our server was a young man whose English was excellent and we told him so.
This time it was me who ordered trofie with pesto. It came like this, with the pesto on top, and included potatoes and green beans. When I asked our server, he said that this was traditional.
The restaurant, Vitturin 1860, had a unique way to deliver dishes from the kitchen in the basement (video by Al):
Breakfast at un posto al sole (the name of the B&B is also the name of a popular Italian soap opera, as I learned when I Googled it) was excellent. If you’re breaking your trip in the Recco area, this place is worth the climb!
The breakfast spread. Juice, milk, yogurt, and ham in the fridge. Self-serve.
We departed around 9 and coasted down the hill. Then it was the coast highway to Genova, the chaos of the port city, and more coast highway. There was a bit of separated bike path between towns but really not very much. I suspect the good bits are to the west. Plus, the drizzly weather didn’t help. I took a few photos with my phone but the camera stayed in the bag.
We found ourselves going through the centre of Genova
I think this huge cruise ship was near Savona. The photo only shows the aft two-thirds or so. We saw the bow but I didn’t stop for a photo. It’s the Costa Toscana, a bit bigger than the Costa Concordia that ran aground in 2012 (337 m overall compared to 290 for the Concordia).
Our B&B is in the old part of Finale Ligure, called Finalborgo. What I didn’t realize when I made the booking is that it’s a mountain biking town—in addition to other outdoor sports. It’s the first place we’ve been in Italy that has such a vibe. It was odd, though, seeing mountain bikers parking their muddy bikes and going for a post-ride drink and snacks—and smoking.
Our accommodation isn’t one of our best. The bathroom is shared with residents of the other rooms, but we don’t know how many, if any, will be occupied tonight. The town was buzzing when we arrived, but it’s the end of a weekend and perhaps most people are going home tonight.
We joined then for a while by going out for a walk around and a pre-dinner beer. Both the beer and the subsequent dinner were very enjoyable.
One of the piazzas of Finalborgo. Racks for bikes everywhere!
We had dinner at a place called La Locanda di Lò. The daily offerings are written on a chalkboard; I ordered something called “Ravioli zucchini e lime con orselle” and this is what came. Delicious! Al had “Trofie con [illegible] Gorgonzola”. It was also good. We each had a small salad too. We ordered a half-litre of the house white and, like last night, it was sparkling.
