Latest Blog Posts — Page 3

Recipes and traditions / 2 April 2016

Levanto is…

Spending a nice holiday in Levanto means not only having relaxing days at sea but also discovering a town rich in history, culture and food traditions.
Today I want to dwell on a typical Levanto delight, which you will find only in this area of ​​the Riviera di Levante: the “gattafin”.
A unique recipe of its kind, loved by children and grown up and it is true that one leads to another!
They are like Proust’s madeleines, every time I eat them I go back to my childhood and the days spent in the kitchen with my grandmother.
But what is the “gattafin”? It is a large ravioli stuffed with wild herbs prepared with the same procedure of herbs quiche, but the cottage cheese ( ricotta) is present in smaller quantities or absent, eventually fried in hot oil.
Perhaps the term comes from “Gattafura”, a fourteenth word which indicated recipes in which the vegetables were crushed by two layers of pasta. We have notice of them  already in cookbooks of the ‘400 and’ 500 and apparently they were  served to the rich lords.

Don’t wait any longer, come for a taste!

Travel Tips / 28 March 2016

Cruising the Mediterranean, wishing a truly unique experience in the Cinque Terre.

Porto della Spezia

Cruising is the best way to discover the world and an amazing experience for the entire family! If you are onboard a cruise ship and La Spezia is one of your port of call don’t loose your time and book your private excursion with your local native Tour Guide!

Half day tours or Full day tours are available, tailor made tours for families, couples or small parties, cooking lessons, private boat tours, wine tasting and much more.

Discover La Spezia, Portovenere, Lerici, Sarzana from a different point of view, put yourself in the hands of an expert for a unique experience.

Travel Tips / 21 March 2016

It’s Springtime in the Cinque Terre!

Cinque Terre are beautiful in every season, Spring is definitely the best if you love nature,  flowers and hiking . More daylight and a mild climate allow you to organize wonderful walks through the villages of the Cinque Terre and excursions along the trails of the National Park.
A day with a local tour guide at your disposal will give you the opportunity to discover our territory and have a taste of some typical Ligurian dishes.
A good glass of white wine DOC of the Cinque Terre, or a sip of Sciacchetrà is not to be missed!

All this awaits you in the Cinque Terre! Do not wait any longer, book your weekend or your daily excursion!

Events / 10 March 2016

It’s Easter time! Visit the Cinque Terre and enjoy the new season!

Have you plan your vacation? Not yet? So what are you waiting for! Cinque Terre and its coastline is the best location to celebrate Easter with your family or friends. Every village solemnizes this festivity with processions, fairs, religious celebrations, holy representations all remembering the Passion.

A stay in the Cinque Terre is a unique opporunity to try some of our famous Easter cakes, such as the “Colomba”, a dove shaped dough topped with pearl sugar and almonds or our well known and very popular within the children chocolate easter eggs.

More than this, Spring is coming! The nature is waking up, flowers are blooming and a lovely warm weather is waiting for you. This is the best time of the season to discover our territory. You can spend a day browsing through the villages, sipping some local wines or maybe enjoying a nice cappuccino and croissant seated in a piazzetta.

 

Recipes and traditions / 1 March 2016

Sip this….

Sciacchetra’ is a raisin wine from the Cinque Terre. One of the most known and precious of our territory. It’s a blend of three different grapes: Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino. Soon after the harvest the grapes are left to dry on well-ventilated racks until the concentration of natural sugars reaches a potential alcohol level of at least 17%. Doing this process the resulting wine will have intense and sweet flavors. Cinque Terre Sciacchetra wines are intensely colored, golden-yellow in their youth and turning to amber over the years. They offer aromas of honey and white blossoms, with hints of citrus.
Discover more about this wine and its history! Book a wine tasting tour and a walking tour through the vineyards of the Cinque Terre.

Travel Tips / 6 February 2016

The importance of hiring Local Guides when travelling

I travel for leisure and travel it’s my job so I have to say I like and I love experience every place on my own. Sometimes it’s easy but sometimes I like to get off the beaten path and have more local  and intimate experiences of the countries I’m visiting. It’s possible to combine both if you have with you a local guide.

Well, being a guide myself I’m quite involved in this, but every time I’m in a new city or country I always prefer to be with a local guide, who normally has decades or sometimes a lifetime experience, knows much more than a thick book and you can ask him/her questions, curiosities, information not only about the place you’re visiting but also about local life and habits.

Most of the time you have the possibility to discover hidden spots unknown to other travelers,  you learn new things about culture and history from another perspective, directly by someone who experienced it, you can visit places and areas others cannot do on their own, you can ask questions and most important ask for tailor-made tours or excursions.

Hilaire Belloc said that “we wander for distraction but we travel for fulfillment” and I think the best way to do it is having a Local Native Guide by your side.

 

Events / 31 December 2015

It’s winter time in the Cinque Terre!

presepe Manarola

The winter season is the perfect time to come and discover the beauty of our territory and the good food

IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME!

The tradition of the Nativity is renewed in Manarola also this year. Until the middle of January thousands of lights illuminate the hill of the Three Crosses in Manarola and they give life to the bigger Nativity Scene ever. A unique opportunity to visit the Cinque Terre and to spend an unforgettable Christmas!

TRADITIONS AND GOOD FOOD

Even in winter you can taste delicious dishes of the ligurian tradition. You won’t miss the famous Pandolce Genovese, an art of sweet bread done especially during Christmas, castagnaccio (chestnut cake), porridge and pancakes, frittelle filled with apple and ricotta cheese, accompanied as always by a glass of 5 Terre D.O.C. white wine or the well known Sciacchetra’. For all the food lovers we offer a half day tour, including a visit of a village and a wine tasting.

COOKING LESSONS

Impress your friends and family and come back home by showing them your skill in preparing our most famous sauces, pesto and walnut sauce! Local restaurateurs are available to show you all the ropes. Enjoy yourself preparing the pesto sauce with a mortar and a pestle, it will be a fun and memorable experience!

TREKKING IN THE CITY

A different way to discover the city of La Spezia. Join us for a walking tour which takes you outside the beaten paths and give you the opportunity to learn more about our history and traditions. The half day tour ends in a local restaurant where you can enjoy a glass of local wine such as some delicious appetizers.

 

Events / 29 September 2015

Main Events in the Province

Plan your trip in advance and take the opportunity to discover more!

MONTEROSSO

Lemons Festival – every year on the 3rd Saturday of the month of May, when yellow becomes the predominant colour in the village.

Anchovies Festival – in June and September stands in town offer a taste of local food and wine

St. John’s Festival  – June 23rd and June 24th with procession, bonfire and fair with local products.

VERNAZZA

St. Margareth the Great Festival – Julyt 20th with procession, fireworks and fair with local products.

Christmas Under the Sea – December 25th the Jesus Child was born in the sea and is brought to the church by divers.

CORNIGLIA

St. Peter and Paul Festival – June 29th famous for the big cake made in town called “la torta dei Fieschi”.

MANAROLA

Easter Time – procession on Good Friday, Via Dolorosa and hundreds of lights illuminating the hills around Manarola.

St. Lawrence Festival – August 10th with procession through the “carruggi”.

Christmas Time – a Nativity scene with over 400 figures and thousand of lights illuminating the hills around Manarola.

RIOMAGGIORE

St. John’s Festival – June 24th with procession and pavement artist exhibition.

SARZANA

Napoleon Festival – September 27th-29th – Sarzana is invaded by French and Austrian troops camping at Firmafede Fortress. A battle through the street of the city. Sarzana, city of origin of the bonaparte family will be the scene of suggestive historical commemorations taking place in the old town, the Citadel, the Fortress of Sarzanello and Piazza Matteotti. Do not miss a visit to the camp and the Napoleonic Market that will ne housed inside the Fortress Firmafede.

LA SPEZIA

Mesciua – September – the event promoted and organized by the City of La Spezia, in collaboration with the Navy points at the city and throughout the country in the prestigious seat of the Naval coinciding with the last end summer week.

SCIACCHETRAIL

The second edition of the race of 47 km through the vineyards of the Cinque Terre, is scheduled on March 20th 2016.

Sciacchetrail is indeed the union of two passions, one for the precious raisin wine produced on terraces with slopes from dizziness and trail running, the run in nature, discipline for excellence has the ability to bring to the specific characteristics of the area difficult terrain, large gradients, kilometers and kilometers of paths and stairs built in the centuries to reach the terraces and its precious fruits.

TRAIL GOLFO DEI POETI

September – Ladders, breathtaking views and tracks that are unique in the world. The Gulf of Poets Trail back in late summer, bringing in the villages hundreds of athletes from all over Europe and as many attendants. re At least 500 runners are expected, for a total of one thousand visitors, two thousand eyes in which will imprint idyllic landscape of the Gulf and the Cinque Terre, images that can only push back.

GuideLiguria