Summer travels in Italy

J

JasonA

Jason Adams
Will be spending a week in Camogli (Ligurian coast) and another week in Varenna (Lake Como). Will not have a car this trip so interested in recs accessible by train, ferry, donkey, etc.

Recs can include any reading material pre trip or during.

Thanks
 
I would certainly plan a day or two of wandering around Cinque Terre during your week in Camogli. I'm not sure if you can hop a train direct or go to La Spezia and grab the local that runs between the towns. Either way it should be fairly easy to get there.
 
I really loved the Food Wine The Italian Riviera & Genoa guide from the Terroir Series. Unfortunately the current edition is from 2008. I would still have look at it in case your local library or bookstore has it. Not everything there changes super quickly.

For wine, Bisson is quite good. Both their Enoteca in Chiavari and the winery in Sestri Levante/Riva Trigosa are right next to the train station. http://www.bissonvini.it
In Sestri Levante there is also very good olive oil at https://www.frantoio-bo.it

We loved the Trattoria dei Mosto in Conscenti many years ago. Accessible via train plus bus. It used to be very simple cooking of super fresh ingredients and an amazing wine list with aged Magnums of B. Mascarello and Pergole Torte at ridiculous prices. Not much about it online so not sure about current status.

La Brinca in Ne is also in that area and has always been the more prominent place. Still regularly recommended so I assume still good.
 
originally posted by JasonA:
Summer travels in ItalyWill be spending a week in Camogli (Ligurian coast) and another week in Varenna (Lake Como). Will not have a car this trip so interested in recs accessible by train, ferry, donkey, etc.

Recs can include any reading material pre trip or during.

Thanks
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You might try to see if there are any recent SlowFood guides, but the problem is that both areas are entirely filled with tourists who are not looking for quality but cheap restaurants (which are quite difficult to find anyway). Neither are generally visited by Italians. Rather than go to Como (which is lovely, but you are more likely to hear German spoken than Italian), you might consider visiting Bergamo, Mantova, and Parma, all of which have better food and more interesting things to see.
 
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by JasonA:
Summer travels in ItalyWill be spending a week in Camogli (Ligurian coast) and another week in Varenna (Lake Como). Will not have a car this trip so interested in recs accessible by train, ferry, donkey, etc.

Recs can include any reading material pre trip or during.

Thanks
Click to expand...

You might try to see if there are any recent SlowFood guides,
Click to expand...

The slow food Osterie d’Italia guide can be downloaded as a smartphone app. I would add the Mangiarossa and the Gamberorosso Ristoranti apps, just to get broader coverage. There are not a ton of good options in either place, especially without a car.
 
I haven't been in a number of years, but I still crave the focaccia de Recco from Manuelina, which appears to be just up the coast. I would put it as one of the great regional food specialties. The focaccia is the star, but we actually had a nice full meal there and I recall some bargains in mature Barolo on the list. Again, this is years back, so much may have changed.
 
Most of my travel to Liguria is on the other side (up from Savona) so I have little to offer there. Staying out of Como is a good idea; Bergamo has some good places to eat and drink and features one-time WD personality Zul; if you send a PM I can try to get you in touch with him for recommendations etc.
 
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