Hotel Splendido

Viale Barata, 16; Portofino
39 0185 267 806; www.hotelsplendido.com

( May 5-7, 2008 ). Some of our friends have so raved about the Hotel Splendido, that we decided to celebrate the tenth anniversary of TMP’s purchase of JSK with a few days at this Orient-Express hotel.

Zoagli

(October 11, 2007) We decided to take a leisurely two-overnights’ drive to Florence. Our first stop was Zoagli, just east of the spit of land that includes Portofino. It is also a fishing village but one without the tourists and associated trappings.No cars are allowed in the town square so all must park outside and walk in. The boats leave right from the main square, which is ringed with a few cafes and stores but mainly with apartments.

Ristorante San Giorgio, Cervo 2

Having read Gary and Varian’s enthusiastic blog post on their evening at the Ristorante San Giorgio in Cervo, Linda and I reserved one of their two rooms and went for the evening of September 26, 2007.

Chez Braccioforte, Imperia

Linda and I had lunch at Chez Braccioforte on September 26, 2007. It is under the arcades which line the waterfront of the port of Oneglia, one of the two old cities which now form Imperia, the capital of Liguria’s western province.

Ristorante San Giorgio

Via Volta, 19; Cervo; 0183 400 175

(February 2007) The Guide Gantie is right. The town of Cervo is one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Italy (see the Seborgo-Perinaldo-Cervo write-up in the Liguria west section).

They were also right that Ristorante San Giorgio is very special (they gave it three olive branches).

Drive: Seborga-Perinaldo-Cervo

(February 2, 2007) Our ultimate destination was Cervo (see restaurant posting for Ristorante San Giorgio), but the journey was planned to be circuitous taking advantage of what we hoped would be fields of mimosa in bloom. Because it was a Friday, we chose to exit after Ventimiglia, at Bordighera, and then take the road to Seborga, that 10th century village in Italy that has both a mayor and a “prince.”

Ca Mea

Badalucco 0184.408.173

If you just happen to be driving in the mountains, six kilometers north of Taggia (there is really only one road north), stop if you see a large cement mushroom. Behind it is a restaurant so good, that even if you aren’t in the neighborhood, it is more than worth the 45-minute drive from Nice. Park and walk across the bridge over the Argentina River. Then put yourselves in the capable hands of the staff. Sit back and enjoy curse after course of good home cooking, washed down with their own red table wine.

Garibaldi Café – Genoa

Garibaldi Café  Via Al Quatro Canti di San Francisco 40, Genova;

Tel. 39 010 2470847   (www.garibaldicafe.it )

On a small street off the Via Garibaldi, in the basement of what were the stables of a large palazzo, with  marble columns , high ceilings and stage-like decoration, we remembered our first visit here a year ago which we liked very much, and decided to return on October 16, 2006.

Chichibio – Genoa

Chichibio

Via Davide Chiossone 20R

Tel: 39-010-247-6191

They were recommended to us by the Garibaldi Café on October 17, 2006.  Chichibio is located close to the Bristol Hotel, with a very modern, but tasteful décor. They showed a wonderful selection of white truffles at 4800 €uro the kg. and, based on your choice, weighed the truffle in front of you. 

Tratoria Alle Due Torri – Genoa

Tratoria Alle Due Torri (Next to the Due Torri.)

On October 18, 2006, we asked the hotel for quick lunch place and arrived early, around noon, to a very Italian trattoria, which was large and empty,  but filled up by the time we were through at around 1.30.  They must cater at lunch time to the office and shop employees as they have a very short menu, of 6 or 7 items, all excellent for a ridiculous price of 42 € for the four of us.
Lunch included: (We each had one dish): red house wine, a minestrone, trenette al pesto,  seppiolini in umido, tonnatto, and a shared dolce della casa. The hotel told us that they have a much more elaborate dinner menu, and excellent quality.  Contributed by David.

Genoa Notes

Linda and Michael spent the nights of June 14 and 15, 2006, in Genoa.  All the meals were with an American friend who has lived there for a long time.

Grotta Marina in Noli

On May 23, 2006, Karyn, Blair, Linda and I had lunch at Grotta Marina in Noli, an old fishing village on the coast west of Savona. 

Road Trip: Albenga to Imperia

(May, 2006) A new guide book we bought from the Touring Club of Italy (in English) has eighty suggested driving itineraries, with maps, towns of interest en route and hotels and restaurants. To try it out, and to take what we hoped would be a pretty drive, we drove #2, called The Ligurian Alps.

Genoa (Tre Merli, Zoeffrino, Buca di San Matteo)

(February, 2006)  Rather than driving into a very confusing city, as many of the larger ones in Italy are, we chose to take the train right into the old part of town.