L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano A s " r e s t a a c a s a " m a n - d a t e s a n d t r a v e l b a n s continue to be the new normal, many of us h a v e f o u n d e x t r a t i m e t o d a y d r e a m , t o g e t l o s t i n thoughts that whisk us away from reality. For me, those dreams often center on trav- el to some beautiful Tuscan hill town as I lounge under a pergola while savoring a fine Sangiovese. Or perhaps fan- tasies of dipping my toes into crystalline blue waters on a warm Sicilian beach… t h e n a g a i n , r e l i s h i n g a n afternoon secreted away in a m y s t e r i o u s m u s e u m … o r how about hiking through a Dolomite meadow filled with s p r i n g f l o w e r s ! S o m a n y o p t i o n s , a n d n o n e w o u l d d i s a p p o i n t … o n c e t r a v e l restrictions are loosened and the world can begin to spin again, that is. I t ' s n e v e r t o o s o o n t o begin putting legs to those dreams, though. If stunning n a t u r a l b e a u t y , f e w e r crowds, and plenty of out- door opportunities are your style, there's a spectacular Italian seaside village that just might top your list. Let me introduce you to Camogli. Snuggled along- side the Ligurian sea, a tum- ble of pastel buildings stop just short of the village's rocky shoreline. Looking as if they'd played a game of tag racing downhill from the green mountainsides, they stand squared, shoulder to s h o u l d e r l i k e a d e f e n s i v e f r o n t a l o n g t h e p e b b l e d beach. An appealing array of c h e e r f u l l y r i c h p a s t e l s – mostly hues of orange, yel- low, tangerine, and peach easily seen from afar – cloak e a c h b u i l d i n g , t h e c o l o r s originally serving as visual homing devices for the many s a i l o r s w h o l i v e d a n d worked here. Although fish- ing is still a lively industry, the congenial buildings are n o w m o r e a p a r t o f t h e e n j o y m e n t f o r t h o s e w h o seek to unwind into a slow- moving seaside rhythm. With about a thousand years of existence under its belt, Camogli has served as a b a s e c a m p f o r m o n k s , a d e f e n s i v e p o s t a l o n g t h e Ligurian coast, and per- haps most endearing, as a quaint fishing village that t e m p o r a r i l y g r e w i n t o a major seaport during the t i m e o f t h e g r e a t s a i l i n g ships. Although not verifi- able, the town's name itself is said to have evolved from "houses of the fishwives" — "case delle mogli" as the women of the village were left to run the show while their fisher husbands were off at sea. And charmingly so, Camogli is still an active fishing village well known for its tasty anchovies and other delicacies of the sea. But as with many quaint I t a l i a n l o c a t i o n s , i t i s tourism that now serves as the lifeblood of the commu- nity. S i t u a t e d b e t w e e n G e n o a a n d C i n q u e Terre , Camogli wouldn't quite qualify for "undiscov- e r e d g e m o f t h e I t a l i a n Riviera;" however, it holds tight to its claim of a much slower paced tourist respite for Italians seeking a low key g e t - a w a y , d e s p i t e b e i n g within hiking distance of its g l a m o r o u s n e i g h b o r , Portofino. PAULA REYNOLDS Camogli: tranquility on the Golfo Paradiso LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE All the beauty and the charm of Camogli (Photo: Dreamstime) Continued to page 24

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