Scoprendo Camogli

Today the morning passed quickly at Villa dei Pini as Fiske finished setting up his studio, which is just above our living quarters on the third floor.  My morning was spent in one of the covered pergolas in the garden, reading The Rent Collector.  Following lunch with the other fellows - our first Ligurian focaccio - we took the car & drove down the coast to the beautiful town of Camogli. 

The drive hugs the coast and reminded us in many spots of the Amalfi coast - though not as frightening! The weather & views were both amazing. Passed through Recco, which, because of heavy Allied bombing in WWII was virtually destroyed, but now rebuilt and much more modern than everything else in the area.

Camogli was a wonderful surprise, a long rocky beach, cafes & gelaterias all along the pedestrian promenade, leading to an ancient church on the point just beside a beautiful harbor. Had our first gelato - limone - which was delicious! 

We have added a photo of the enormous frying pan mounted on a wall as you walk into Camogli - it is used once a year for the festival of the fish, when local fisherman cook 3 tons of fish in 100 liters of olive oil in celebration of the fish. The frying pan is 15 feet across! On our drive back to Bogliasco, we turned up a road going straight up into the steep hills all around us, incredibly curvy and narrow, and, of course, no guard rails anywhere! We eventually managed to turn around somehow and returned to the villa for a quick siesta before the evening events. Camogli is a very special place.