Italian Riviera 2025, part 2 (Riva Ligure, San Lorenzo al Mare, Bussana Vecchia)
The previous evening, Francesco had arrived from Milan and it was a very joyful reunion for both of us.
The fact that Francesco is 20 years older than me doesn’t affect him at all in how he experiences reality and the aging process. Watching him (and also Paola), I kept thinking that they should be role models for all of us on how to age. Last year, Francesco (when he turned 80!!!) once again walked the Way of St. James and completed the Aragonese route (867 km). Paola doesn’t usually walk that much, but she is an extremely diligent woman who loves to cook, make jams and preserves, and their apartment was sparkling clean, as if ready at any moment to be photographed for a well-known magazine. Compared to the two of them, I felt quite lazy, and my apartment seemed neglected even though I clean it regularly and try to keep it in decent condition.
In any case, already the next day, Francesco and I, at his suggestion, set out on a serious walk to the small town of San Lorenzo al Mare. From Riva Ligure there and back, it’s 15 km.
Once again, the two of us followed the “Riviera dei Fiori” cycle path, which I had walked the previous day with Paola (only a shorter stretch).
I have already explained in the previous section why this part of the Italian Riviera is called the Riviera of Flowers, hence the name of the cycling and walking path, but that becomes quite clear when you see certain stretches of it.
A small problem can be the fact that many sections are exposed to strong sunlight, but in one part we passed by pine trees that provided pleasant shade.
The path also passes by some beaches that, in the second half of June, appeared quite deserted. Perhaps the reason for that is the absence of cafés, restaurants and similar establishments. On the other hand, as can be seen in the next couple of photos, the coastline here is partly sandy, partly rocky and made up of stones.
But, regardless of the type of beach, the water here is exceptionally clean and clear. In several places along the Riviera of Flowers, there are coastal areas that are especially important due to the richness of marine flora and fauna, and these areas are protected by the state as "Sites of Community Interest" (SCI), a concept developed and established within the EU framework.
At one point, I remembered to take a selfie with Francesco.
As I’ve already mentioned, this cycling and walking path was built on the site of a former railway line, so before long we reached an old railway tunnel. It’s about 1.5 km long and the cool shade there was especially pleasant.
In several spots, water drips from beneath the metal covering on the ceiling, just a small amount, but quite steadily, and as it interacts with various metals, it forms different compounds and colours the tunnel walls. It all looks very intriguing.
While we were walking along the path, cyclists frequently passed by us. Italians are great cycling enthusiasts and this is an especially fantastic place for them.
And then, at some point, (day)light appeared at the end of the tunnel.
We continued along the path and soon reached the town of San Lorenzo al Mare and the various beaches that can be seen there.
Francesco and I didn’t go to the beach; instead, we went to a café the owners of which he knows, and there we rested a bit. I appreciated the break because, actually, I wasn’t wearing proper shoes for such a long walk (and we still had to return). I should mention right away that by the time we got back home, I had a large blister on one toe, but at least Francesco and I have plenty of experience dealing with such problems. The Way of St. James, where we first met, teaches a person many things. Some of them are very practical.
We also took a little walk around this charming little town.
The formation of a formal settlement in this place began in the 12th century, with two separate settlements developing, each on one bank of the San Lorenzo stream. They united in 1749 when the Austrians ruled this territory. Over time, this area belonged to various rulers and kingdoms, but since 1861 it has been part of the Kingdom of Italy. The town received its current name, San Lorenzo al Mare, in 1862, and ten years later, a railway line connecting Genoa in the east and Ventimiglia in the west passed through it.
While walking a bit around the centre, Francesco and I also stopped by the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena. The church was founded in the 13th or 14th century but was renovated in the Baroque style in 1766.
Interestingly, the church is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene and the reason for this is one of the many legends that say on her journey from the Holy Land to Provence the saint stopped on a rock in front of San Lorenzo al Mare in order to pray. The rock was known as Santa Maria Maddalena, but in the 1960s, during the construction of the marina, it was submerged.
Now Francesco and I started heading back towards Riva Ligure. To begin, we went down to the shoreline itself and first crossed via a small bridge the San Lorenzo stream that at this time of year (second half of June) didn’t have enough water to overflow the embankment and flow into the Ligurian Sea.
The promenade along the coast is nicely maintained and there was a sculpture where I took a photo of Francesco.
The path led us a little further through parts of this beautiful little town.
As we were leaving the town, the gravel beach ended, and beyond it were rocks.
Here we started back along the “Riviera dei Fiori” cycle path, but in trying to find a pharmacy so I could buy a band-aid, we had to leave it and thus took alternative routes.
My dear Francesco kept me company without any complaints and so under the strong sun, we skipped that tunnel whose shade would have definitely been welcome.
At some point, we finally found a pharmacy, I put a band-aid on the blister to make walking easier and then we found a spot where we descended and rejoined the cycling and walking path.
After a while, we reached the town of Santo Stefano al Mare.
Besides the presence of one of the many beaches there, we also passed by a nine-sided tower, which is called Torre Ennagonale in Italian. Construction began in 1564 when this territory belonged to the Republic of Genoa and it was completed a few years later. It served as a defensive tower against frequent attacks by Saracen pirates. Today, it houses the town hall.
By the time we got home, Paola had made a wonderful specialty from the Ligurian coast, specifically from the western part called Riviera di Ponente. It’s called the Green Cake or in Italian – Torta verde.
It’s a savoury pie that belongs to the traditional Ligurian “poor kitchen” (Cucina povera). I believe that in the whole world only Italians have managed to turn the food eaten by the poorest parts of society into top-quality dishes.
This dish is made with a crust on the bottom and top, with a vegetable filling in between. It’s eaten warm, but it’s also excellent cold, so it’s great to make when going on a trip. Traditionally, local young zucchini are used, light-coloured, quite thin and fairly long, called trombette.
One can also use spinach or Swiss chard, but I decided to make my version with green beans because Paola’s filling reminded me of one of my favourite childhood dishes – baked green beans.
TORTA VERDE
- 300 g flour
- 100 ml white wine
- 100 ml olive oil
- 500 g green beans
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 carrot
- 1 small onion
- 2 eggs
- 80 g rice
- 50 g grated Parmesan
- a little marjoram leaves (I used basil)
- spices from the recipe
Mix the flour, salt, wine and oil in order to get a dough that should be smooth and elastic. Cover it and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
Sauté chopped onion and carrot sliced thinly, then add the green beans. Add salt and pepper, and when it starts to soften a bit, add coarsely grated zucchini and mix everything well. Add the uncooked rice, stir and let it cool a little. Finally, add the eggs, cheese, and marjoram, and mix everything again.
Divide the dough into two parts, one slightly larger for the base and the other a bit smaller for the top. Roll out the larger part of the dough thinly with a rolling pin and place it in a cake pan lined with baking paper, making sure the edges of the bottom dough slightly hang over the edge.
Put the filling inside and level it, then cover it with the other part of the dough, also rolled out thinly. Seal the edges and prick the surface. Brush with olive oil, then place it in a preheated oven (180°C) and bake for about 45 minutes.
After our afternoon rest break, we set off on an excursion. The place was planned by Paola and Francesco, as I hadn’t heard of it before. It’s the village of Bussana Vecchia, which means “Old Bussana.” That certainly means there is also a place called (New) Bussana, which is right on the coast. This Bussana Vecchia is up in the hills. In the next picture, it can be seen in the upper right (where the church tower is).
The village was destroyed in an earthquake in 1887, while the surviving residents decided to move closer to the sea, which led to the development of the town of Bussana. In any case, the old settlement was completely abandoned until the 1960s when it was settled by various artists from different European countries who belonged to the hippie movement.
However, things became a bit complicated over time – the authorities wanted to evict them, the new residents didn’t want to leave, descendants of the original homeowners appeared, and so on. Today, a small number of residents still live in the village, there are still art galleries, and in summer it is very popular with tourists. What will happen in the end, who will own it, and what will come of it all remains unknown.
For now, it’s a charming place that can be explored in about an hour’s walk. A rather narrow road leads up there, and when Francesco found a good place to park the car, we were able to start our tour.
At one point, I took a photo of my wonderful hosts – Francesco and Paola.
I'm don't have much to say here, but the pictures themselves suffice and are vivid enough for the reader to get an idea of what parts of this village look like today.
As we slowly made our way back to the car, Francesco and I stopped at a viewpoint overlooking parts of the Riviera west of Bussana Vecchia. In the next photo, you can just make out numerous glass greenhouses where flowers are cultivated. This is exactly why the entire coast from Grimaldi di Ventimiglia in the west to Cervo in the east is called the Riviera dei Fiori or Riviera of Flowers.
As we descended the winding road back down to the main coastal road, I managed to capture a glimpse of (New) Bussana.
A little later, we returned to Riva Ligure where we walked a bit more and I ate my obligatory ice cream (one every day), before we retreated to the flat.