This was a day that wasn’t supposed to happen. Today, I was meant to take the train from my base in Genoa to the town of Santa Margharita Ligure, a coastal city best known as the place one catches the bus to the luxury mecca of Portofino. I was going to remain in Santa Margharita for the day, exploring, eating seafood, and writing about the gateway to Portofino rather than the upscale town itself. Then I was to take the train part-way back up, stopping in the town of Recco to meet friends for dinner.
Well, arriving at Genoa’s Piazza Principe train station, things went wrong. After purchasing my ticket and having a cappuccino, I made my way to my platform. And then an announcement came that my train was canceled. No bother, I thought. Having looked at the schedule ahead of time, I knew there was another train fifteen minutes later, so I headed back to the board to find the platform for that journey. It, too, was canceled. Curious.
When the next train was also canceled, I decided to ask in the office, and it turns out that the regional rail employees were on a one-day strike. “There might be a train later if you want to wait,” I was told. I didn’t, so I got a refund and sent a message to my friends. Five minutes later, a response. “Don’t worry; we will pick you up and you can explore the Golfo Paradiso before dinner.”
I hadn’t heard of the Golfo Paradiso – literally Gulf of Paradise – before. It turns out that it is a series of towns just north of Portofino, situated one after the other between there and Genoa. Think of it as the Cinque Terre, but without the total domination by tourists. (Click here to read about my experience in the Cinque Terre.) And while I hadn’t heard of the place, many have, with the New York Times calling the area one of the top off-the-beaten-path places to explore.
I did what anyone would do. I accepted, though I felt a little bad for my friend driving to get me. And let me tell you, this accidental day that wasn’t supposed to happen ended up being one of my favorites in my month in Genoa.
After a drive of about an hour (taking the slower coastal route rather than utilizing the toll highway), my friend parked at the top of a hill. Here, the small church of San Rocco fronts a vista over the Golfo Paradiso. The church is lovely, but it is the nearby trailhead of Via San Rocco that beckoned us.
My friend pointed down the trail. “That is where you will go,” he told me. I was apparently to hike down the hill to the seaside town of Camogli, and then to meet back in his town of Recco for dinner. Well, with the time a little after 2pm, that left me with plenty to make a 7pm reservation, so off I went.
Via San Rocco runs entirely downhill, at least if one walks in this direction. It is a stone pathway that alternates between stairs and a gentle slope, with vistas of the sea at times, of the coastline at others, and of the small towns nestled in the hills. It was lovely, though I and my legs were grateful to be walking down instead of up.
I took a slow pace, taking probably an hour to reach sea level, where the trail merges with a road that heads into Camogli. This town of about 5,000 is the touristic focal point of the Golfo Paradiso. Once a charming fishing village, it is now lined with restaurants, shops, and cafes fronting its black pebble beach.
Having worked up an appetite hiking down the hill, I stopped at a random gelato shop, one chosen out of several that I could have just as randomly tried. A cone of fig and ricotta gelato in the winter sun was a lovely end to the first segment of my walk.
Camogli’s waterfront is lined with traditional Ligurian (this province of Italy with its capital in Genoa) buildings, all colored in shades of yellow, brown, and pink, with mainly green window shutters. It is picturesque, as only a seaside Italian village can be.
But a promontory dividing the town’s beach from its protected marina tells a tale of what was once a town of more importance. Here, Castel Dragone sits on what was once a tiny island. The fortification, along with a nearby lighthouse and stunning church, speak of a Camogli that once housed an entire fleet of tall ships, and even a naval college!
Those times are long past, and today’s castle simply boasts a beautiful place to watch the crashing of the waves. The neighboring Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, however, was open, and its beauty belies the current size of the village.
But the best part of the church is the way it breaks up the coastline at sunset. After my gelato and short exploration of the castle and basilica, my watch told me it was less than an hour from the 5pm January sunset. I found a place just above the beach, with the basilica to the right, and allowed the calling of its bells and the sounds of the waves and seabirds to usher in the beginning of one of the most perfect sunsets I have seen in quite a while.
From Camogli, the road to Recco winds down the coast, so I decided to get a head start with the sun barely beneath the Mediterranean horizon. After stairs and a steep street led me to a small park above the marina, I stared down at the lighthouse as the sky lit up in more shades than I could count. (Please note that this photo has not been filtered or altered in any way, and was simply taken with my iPhone. I don’t ever filter photos, but it’s especially important to say that at a time like this.)
I imagine the road to Recco would also be beautiful, but as it was now after dark, I can only tell you that it had a well paved sidewalk and enough light to see it by.
Recco is a slightly larger town than Camogli, with a population of about 10,000. And unlike its neighboring town to the south, it seems a place that tourists don’t really visit. It is best known for three things, apparently: a railroad bridge destroyed by the allies during World War Two (along with most of the town), a September battle between the town’s neighborhoods as to who can produce the best fireworks show, and focaccia di Recco con formaggio.
What is this, you might ask? Well, my friends took me to the immensely popular (judging by the constant line, though they made a reservation) Pizzeria del Ponte Recco to find out. Basically, take thin sheets of focaccia and put cheese between them. Bake until that cheese is melty, and crisp more cheese on top. Add a glass of white wine, some fried anchovies with lemon, and I left very full and very happy.
This was a day that wasn’t supposed to happen. But after a nice hike, some terrific food, charming towns, and one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ll ever see, I am so glad that it did. I am glad that the exigencies of travel – especially travel in Italy – took my plans, dashed them, and left me with something that was probably even better. Visiting Camogli, Recco, and the Golfo Paradiso was a day I’ll never forget.
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