Pops’ Italy Travel Guide, Liguria

My grandfather on my mother’s side came to the USA from Italy. He was born in a small town, Bardino Nuovo, in the Liguria region and Savona province of Italy. Liguria is a beautiful region of Italy and Bardino is about halfway between Genoa and Monaco along the Italian Riviera.

 

In that area there are fingers of land jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea. Between the fingers are beach towns such as Pietra Ligure and Loano.  As you are driving along the coast you will find that you are always in a tunnel or on a bridge as you drive across the fingers of land. When you get to Pietra Ligure and start driving inland you will find the road to Bardino Nuovo. The road is a series of switchbacks going up the mountain with towns along the way. You climb pretty fast and high and when you get to Bardino Nuovo you have an incredible view of the Mediterranean Sea. On a clear day you can see Corsica.

 

Bardino Nuovo means New Bardino. It has been around for about a thousand years. There is also a Bardino Vecchio, Old Bardino, which has been around longer. The area is in Italy now and we have relatives up and down the coast from Genoa to Nice, France. Since the border with France has changed over time they all speak both French and Italian and consider themselves kind of French/Italian. I have a cousin Carlo that has a farm outside of Nice. I have another cousin, Maria Teresa, who would bring soup and bread to the Italian resistance fighters against the Germans during WWII when she was a little girl.

 

Since this is the Italian Riviera the coast is dotted with resorts and very fine, sandy beaches. You can stay in Bardino and still enjoy the beach as it is a short 20 minute drive. We would go down to the coast to have lunch and something to drink. There is also plenty of shopping to do in each town. If you get off the Autostrada you can drive along the coast through each town. The closer you get to France you will get to Portofino and San Remo. If you want to go to Monaco there is an option we took to the Grand Prix. Drive to Ventimiglia and take the train. They run quite often. That will save you from driving in Monaco and parking. The train drops you off in the center of town. Less than a half hour from Monaco is Nice, France if you want to go there.

 

Liguria has a lot of history from castles to medieval towns. The churches are beautiful and worth going into to see the architecture and art. My cousin said the area was populated by pirates who liked the area. You can spend days seeing the many towns in the area. My daughter went to Genoa while we were at the Grand Prix and saw Christopher Columbus’s home. She also saw a church where, during WWII, a bomb fell through the roof during a mass and didn’t explode. The bomb is still there.

 

As you can see, there is a lot to do in Liguria. You can relax at the beach, shop, eat/drink, see history or tour the countryside.

PS - My cousin Roberto makes the best home made grappa in the world. I wish I had a way of getting it sent here.