Northern Italy - Ventimiglia and Dolceacqua

We were up and at 'em bright and early Saturday morning to catch the train for Ventimiglia which is a town on the Italian-French border. 

Brian, Keith and Greg on the train - take note of all the graffiti on the table, lamp and windows. 

We knew Ventimiglia was a popular destination spot for many people from the Côte d'Azur because of the market and shops that sell cheaper produce, wine and goods. It took about 40 minutes to go from Nice to Ventimiglia stopping at all the coastal towns and cities en route. When we arrived, the market was bustling. The vendors spoke both French and Italian. Everything looked fabulous and most of the vegetables and fruit were huge and colourful. 

We bought grapes and tomatoes from Sicily, broccoli, saucisson, prosecco and fish.

The gents below made wonderful cheese and we purchased several different kinds. The round in the front is a very creamy gorgonzola that I am going to use in the pasta for tomorrow night's dinner. 

Across from the market, we spied the Bar Canada and thought it fitting to stop there for "smoko". We have no idea why it was called that and the waiters were far too busy to inquire. 

One of the girls in Keith and Brian's class had mentioned that there was a tiny, nearby Italian village called Dolceacqua that was every bit as pretty as some of the villages here in France. From Ventimiglia, it was only about a 15 minute bus ride. We found the bus stop with little difficulty and when the bus arrived we hopped on fully prepared to pay the driver our fare of 1€50 each. Fortunately, he spoke some English and explained to us that you had to purchase the tickets in advance. Realizing we were unaware of this and that we would have to wait a substantial period of time for the next bus, he kindly let all 6 of us ride to Dolceacqua for free. How kind!

Dolceacqua is as pretty as a picture. This was the view as soon as we stepped off the bus. The church, the 15th Saint Anthony Abate Parish, is in the foreground and the Doria castle is behind it.

On the other side of the road, I saw two neighbours having a bit of a "chin wag" while hanging out their laundry.

Dolceacqua is really two villages joined by an arched stone bridge. The one side, known as Terra, is the ancient centre towered over by the Doria castle which dates back to the 11th century. The other, from the 19th century, is called Borgo. True to form, we had to walk up, way up, along narrow alleys passing artisan shops and taverns along the way. Once at the top, we paid a nominal entrance fee and were greeted by a kind man who could speak English. He took us on a private tour of the castle allowing us time to ask questions and take pictures. The castle has been transformed over the years undergoing significant renovations. However, the circular tower dating back to around 1000 still stands. Here are a few pictures of the castle and the views from the top.

These are some of the scenes from the narrow alleys.

A picture of the exterior of the castle taken from the bridge.

Greg and Brian.

We walked over the bridge to a plaza on the other side. It was lined with outdoor restaurants and we found a pleasant eatery for lunch. We ordered a bottle of Rosesse di Dolcacqua which apparently was the first Ligurian wine to receive the DOC seal of Quality. The bottle was called Numero Uno and it was excellent. So was the food. A couple of us had the hand made gnocci with pesto seen below.

Linda and Greg shared the spaghetti vongolese.

And Keith had the black risotto topped with Sable fish.

Feeling more than satisfied, we found an outlet to purchase bus tickets and headed back to Ventimiglia. Our motley crew waiting for the bus.

Our day ended with a fabulous late meal in our apartment. Greg prepared the fish we had purchased at the market, Mick made a wonderful green beans with a Greek sauce  sauce and I made the potatoes and a large fresh salad. 

Lining up for dinner.

Another splendid day with wonderful family and friends!