L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano MARIELLA RADAELLI ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES W ith its modern archi- tecture, Recco seems out of place on the picturesque Italian Riviera. Yet it is remarkable in its own right as a paradise for food. Tucked into a thyme-scented h ills id e, th e s ea to w n o f th e G o l f o P a r a d i s o b o r d e r s t h e slow-paced fishing village of Camogli and is only a two-hour d r i v e f r o m M i l a n . W h i l e Camogli, shortened from Case delle Mogli, got his name from the women who watched over the town while their husbands were at sea, Recco's name origi- n a t e s f r o m t h e R o m a n s w h o called the Borgo "Recina". When I was a child I used to w a l k w i t h m y m o t h e r f r o m Recco to Camogli every morn- ing during our August vacation. To me Camogli meant buying fish directly from the fishermen, while Recco meant fantastic r e c i p e s . B o t h w e r e s u m m e r retreats for the Milanese whose families have returned for gener- ations for their annual dose of sunshine, focaccia and trofie. My father picked Recco because it was "the capital of Ligurian cuisine". And still it is. In Recco I missed the multi- s t o r y b u i l d i n g s o f C a m o g l i painted in pinks, yellows and terra-cottas. But there is a reason for such local architectural mod- esty. Recco was one of Italy's m o s t w a r - d a m a g e d c i t i e s i n WWII. Bombed 27 times, Recco lost many lives. Never before the town had lost so much and yet never before there were so many new beginnings. Recco showed strength and pride as it rose as a phoenix from the ashes. Out of the infer- no a more modern settlement took shape that concentrated its identity on the culture of food. Focaccia col formaggio is its divine specialty --a rich gooey cheese encased in millimeter- thin sheets of dough. In 2014 the EU gave it the quality certifica- t i o n m a r k o f P r o t e c t e d Geographical Indication to safe- guard the product name from misuse and imitation. Lucio Bernini, president of t h e C o n s o r z i o F o c a c c i a d i Recco, traces its origins to the Romans. Around 200 B.C., Cato referenced a similar style of focaccia in his treatise De Re R u s t i c a . " Y e t t h e f i r s t r e a l Recco focaccia made its appear- ance in 1189 at the Abbey of San Fruttuoso Capodimonte," notes Bernini. During a ritual for the departure of the Third Crusade, its leader Guglielmo Embriaco distributed two sheets of dough without yeast filled with fresh formaggetta to the crusaders to ready them for the perilous trip. In the 19th century, street food vendors served focaccia on the occasion of the celebration of the dead. "At the beginning of last century my grandmother Marinin served it to clients on a d a i l y b a s i s , " s a y s V i t t o r i o Bisso, who owns the historic h o t e l a n d r e s t a u r a n t D a O Vittorio together with his twin brother Giovanni. Founded in 1865 by their great-grandfather as a locanda con cambio di cav- a l l i , D a O V i t t o r i o ( w w w . daovittorio.it) is a symbol of Ligurian identity. Vittorio and Giovanni's father Luigi Bisso was a restaurateur of choice for noble Genovese families whose c h i l d r e n a t e O D a V i t t o r i o f o c a c c i a a s t h e i r a f t e r n o o n snacks. After the war the Bisso f a m i l y a t t r a c t e d a r t i s t s a n d statesmen who gloried in Da O V i t t o r i o ' s w e l l - p r e s e n t e d , e x q u i s i t e m e n u . A c t o r A l d o Fabrizi loved to escape from the rigid diet rules imposed by his dieticians in Uscio to live a h a p p y n i g h t a t D a O Vittorio."Da O Vittorio ti saluto dieta, magno e mi riconcilio con la vita," he used to say. It is still an institution for its f r e s h l y c a u g h t s e a f o o d , t h e elaborate cappon magro, the crucial pansoti alle noci and focaccia. The owners with their s o n s a n d n e p h e w s f i e r c e l y guard ancient recipes such as that for corzetti, medallions of pasta that date back to Roman times. The corzetti are given an embossed decoration using a s p e c i a l w o o d e n t o o l . " T h e embossing helps personalize the corzetti with the name of the client but it also helps the pasta to 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 Fruttuoso and Portofino. "When we wake up in the m o r n i n g , w e s e e M o u n t Portofino 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 the church of San Rocco you head u p h i l l t o A v e g n o w h e r e t h e landscape changes dramatically. The Commune consists of nine hamlets, included the panoramic M e g l i . A s a c h i l d , a f t e r t h e beach, I walked home to Megli through stone steep stairs. I watched the sun go down, the sky draining all the color from a red and white building and turn- ing the fronting sea to silver. O n S e p t e m b e r 7 a n d 8 , Recco will host La Sagra del Fuoco, a traditional feast in honor of Nostra Signora del Soccorso. Fireworks will reflect on the infinite sea. The town is also renowned f o r w a t e r p o l o w i t h t h e P r o R e c c o c l u b l o c a t e d o n t h e b e a c h f r o n t s i n c e 1 9 1 3 . " W e contributed the most Olympic medals in Rio, " says the mayor. "The Setterosa, that won a sil- ver medal has two Reccheline in its squad. While the Settebello w o n t h e b r o n z e p o w e r e d b y seven Recchelini". Recco: New Recipe for success after WWII A picturesque view of Recco in the Italian Riviera— Photo by Pavlo Baliukh

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