Liguria

Liguria is a crescent shaped strip located on the northwest corner in Italy.  It borders to the north France, to the east Piedmont, and Emilia Romagna, and Tuscany to the south.  The Apennines Mountain range runs through Liguria and literally falls off when it touches the Mediterranean Sea.

  The capital here is Genoa and doubles as a major port

This is the smallest region in Italy, and is believed to be so because of the aggressive terrain.  With the protection of the Apennines Mountain range Liguria was one of the last regions to be conquered by the Romans, not to mention Ligurian’s rebellious manors.  

  Ligurian’s have to work harder for their food and their wines.  The seas are not as generous in the north as they are in the south and farming on such harsh terrain makes things a bit difficult.  With all that hard work Liguria is one of the most diverse and flavorful regions in all of Italy.  

The mountain valleys are covered in basil, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and garlic and all of these flavors can be found in their cooking.  Ligurian’s love to use garlic in their food and unlike the rest of Italy, this style of cooking has created that garlic-eating stereotype we all know.  If you are looking for a Ligurian specialty you will not find this at a dinner table. The most common food found in Liguria is at a Friggitorie (fry shop) where you will find things like gianchetti (tiny anchovies or sardines that have been fried), calamari (squid), gamberetti (shrimp).  

For bread you will find a lot of Focaccia rich in herbs and olive oil.  Pasta here is lasagna, gnocci, trenetto (long flat “spaghetti”), corzetti (coin shaped) usually served with pesto (basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts), tocco di carne (meat sauce), tocco de noxe (walnut sauce).  Lots of pesce (fish) and vegetables but little meat if any there will be coniglio con le olive (rabbit cooked with olives and herbs).

Cinqueterre DOC:  Most commonly know to tourists for it’s romantic cliffs edge towns.  The Cinqueterre as it’s name suggests is made up of five lands; Riomaggiore, Manarola, Vernazza, Corniglia, and Monterosso al Mare.  La Spieza is the nearest major city and the gate way to the Cinqueterre.  Grapes are harvested in small baskets that are carried up from the sculpted Cliffside vineyards. The grapes that are in the blend : Albarola, Bosco, and Vermentino.

Rossese di Dolceacqua DOC: These wines are produced in the medieval town of Dolceacqua.  The name means “Sweet Water” and is reference to the town it comes from.  Made from a minimum of 95% Rossese these wines are fresh, and fruity, with notes of pepper and light tannins.  For Rosses Superiore you will need to age it at least a year and the alcohol content must rise from 12% up to 13%.

Colli di Luni DOC:  Liguria’s most southeasterly DOC, located on a mountainous area where Toscana, Liguria, and Emilia Romagna meet.  This DOC actually overlaps Tocana and Liguria where they both have Vermentino in commom.  In Toscana this region is known as Lunigiana and is situated in between the Appennines and the Alps Apuane.

Riviera Ligure di Ponente: Meaning “Coastline of Liguria at the place on the horizon where the sun sets.”  This is the larges DOC in Liguria comprising of 3 subzones; Albenga, Riviera dei Fiori, Rossese di Albenga.  Most commonly found grape varietals are Pigato, Vermentino, and Rossese.