THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016www.italoamericano.org16 L'Italo-Americano

MARIELLA RADAELLI

ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

With its modern archi-tecture, Recco seemsout of place on the

picturesque Italian Riviera. Yetit is remarkable in its own rightas a paradise for food.

Tucked into a thyme-scentedhillside, the sea town of theGolfo Paradiso borders theslow-paced fishing village ofCamogli and is only a two-hourdrive from Milan. WhileCamogli, shortened from Casedelle Mogli, got his name fromthe women who watched over

the town while their husbandswere at sea, Recco’s name origi-nates from the Romans whocalled the Borgo “Recina”.When I was a child I used to

walk with my mother fromRecco to Camogli every morn-ing during our August vacation.To me Camogli meant buyingfish directly from the fishermen,while Recco meant fantasticrecipes. Both were summerretreats for the Milanese whosefamilies have returned for gener-ations for their annual dose ofsunshine, focaccia and trofie.My father picked Recco becauseit was “the capital of Liguriancuisine”. And still it is.In Recco I missed the multi-

story buildings of Camoglipainted in pinks, yellows andterra-cottas. But there is a reasonfor such local architectural mod-esty. Recco was one of Italy’smost war-damaged cities inWWII. Bombed 27 times, Reccolost many lives. Never beforethe town had lost so much andyet never before there were somany new beginnings.Recco showed strength and

pride as it rose as a phoenixfrom the ashes. Out of the infer-no a more modern settlementtook shape that concentrated itsidentity on the culture of food.Focaccia col formaggio is its

divine specialty --a rich gooeycheese encased in millimeter-thin sheets of dough. In 2014 theEU gave it the quality certifica-tion mark of ProtectedGeographical Indication to safe-guard the product name frommisuse and imitation.Lucio Bernini, president of

the Consorzio Focaccia diRecco, traces its origins to theRomans. Around 200 B.C., Catoreferenced a similar style offocaccia in his treatise De Re

Rustica. “Yet the first realRecco focaccia made its appear-ance in 1189 at the Abbey ofSan Fruttuoso Capodimonte,”notes Bernini. During a ritualfor the departure of the ThirdCrusade, its leader GuglielmoEmbriaco distributed two sheetsof dough without yeast filledwith fresh formaggetta to thecrusaders to ready them for theperilous trip.In the 19th century, street

food vendors served focaccia onthe occasion of the celebrationof the dead. “At the beginningof last century my grandmotherMarinin served it to clients on adaily basis,” says VittorioBisso, who owns the historichotel and restaurant Da OVittorio together with his twinbrother Giovanni. Founded in1865 by their great-grandfatheras a locanda con cambio di cav-alli, Da O Vittorio (www.daovittorio.it) is a symbol ofLigurian identity. Vittorio andGiovanni’s father Luigi Bissowas a restaurateur of choice fornoble Genovese families whosechildren ate O Da Vittoriofocaccia as their afternoonsnacks. After the war the Bissofamily attracted artists andstatesmen who gloried in Da OVittorio’s well-presented,exquisite menu. Actor AldoFabrizi loved to escape from therigid diet rules imposed by hisdieticians in Uscio to live ahappy night at Da OVittorio.“Da O Vittorio ti salutodieta, magno e mi riconcilio conla vita,” he used to say.It is still an institution for its

freshly caught seafood, theelaborate cappon magro, thecrucial pansoti alle noci andfocaccia. The owners with theirsons and nephews fiercelyguard ancient recipes such as

that for corzetti, medallions ofpasta that date back to Romantimes. The corzetti are given anembossed decoration using aspecial wooden tool. “Theembossing helps personalize thecorzetti with the name of theclient but it also helps the pastato hold the sauce, a mix of mar-joram, pine nuts and cheeses,”says Vittorio.Recco is a perfect base to

visit the Golfo Paradiso’s cul-tural blockbusters San Fruttuosoand Portofino.“When we wake up in the

morning, we see MountPortofino rising from the land-scape in front of us. This out-standing view fills our hearts,”says Mayor Dario Capurro.Recco’s enchantment lies in

the undulating hills. After thechurch of San Rocco you headuphill to Avegno where thelandscape changes dramatically.The Commune consists of ninehamlets, included the panoramicMegli. As a child, after thebeach, I walked home to Meglithrough stone steep stairs. Iwatched the sun go down, thesky draining all the color from ared and white building and turn-ing the fronting sea to silver.On September 7 and 8,

Recco will host La Sagra delFuoco, a traditional feast inhonor of Nostra Signora delSoccorso. Fireworks will reflecton the infinite sea.The town is also renowned

for water polo with the ProRecco club located on thebeachfront since 1913. “Wecontributed the most Olympicmedals in Rio, “ says the mayor.“The Setterosa, that won a sil-ver medal has two Reccheline inits squad. While the Settebellowon the bronze powered byseven Recchelini”.

Recco: New Recipe for success after WWII

A picturesque view of Recco in the Italian Riviera— Photo by Pavlo Baliukh