Valloria and Bussana Vecchia - Two of Liguria Many Charming Villages
In a previous article I mentioned my excitement at the upcoming National Gallery exhibition on Raphael, unfortunately this has now been postponed until 2022. This is unsurprising but I can’t help but be disappointed, perhaps I should take solace in it likely allowing more people to enjoy his work.
The photo above is of Bussana Vecchia, a tiny village I visited with my husband Ian two years ago during a holiday to the Italian region of Liguria. In truth I was unaware of Bussana until the day before, upon hearing that we were growing tired of sunning ourselves the hotel concierge recommended we visited the village on a day trip. We were staying in the coastal town of Diano Marina and the satnav reported a distance of 40km and a 45 minute travel time. I feel I must confess that I refuse to drive in Italy and so impose all driving duties onto Ian. Ian firmly believes I am a terrible back seat driver, reporting that I continuously claim he is driving too fast, which he is.
The journey ended up taking about an hour further enforcing my belief that satnavs are the embodiment of optimism, if only we all shared their resolute positivity. The delay was primarily due to a loss of satellite connection which resulted in us circumnavigating the same roundabout continuously. After consulting several gentlemen in a bar en route we were soon back on course and reached our destination
Bussana Vecchia did not disappoint and became a highlight of the trip. It is very much a medieval village of cobbled streets which are pedestrianised, adding to the atmosphere and preserving the feel of the town. Unfortunately this means leaving the car on one of the roads outside the village, no luxury of car park here. The buildings are a mix match of ruins and wonky and tiny stone houses with steep narrow steps leading to each dwelling. Interestingly Bussana used to be a ghost town after being abandoned by its inhabitants in 1887 due to an earthquake which destroyed or damaged most of the buildings. The Bussanesi decided that medieval foundations were too dangerous to rebuild upon and chose to build the new village further down the valley.
Fast forward a hundred years and a group of artists decided to repair some of the abandoned houses and move in. They loved the romantic appeal of the ruins and the medieval architecture untouched by the last hundred years of progress. Currently there are many artists’ workshops, a few vintage and antique dealers, two restaurants, a bar and a B&B. The church is still in ruins, without a roof but rustic and beautiful in its own way.
Bussana Vecchia, view
During the holiday we also visited Valloria another fascinating village. Getting there was even more of an adventure than getting to Bussana. The journey comprised of steep roads, hairpin bends, me screaming at Ian to slow down and him ignoring me. Valloria's claim to fame is that it is the village of painted doors. Many years ago a committee of villagers asked a group of Italian artists to come and paint the village doors, giving them total freedom in both subject and style. The artists obliged and used their imagination. The village is small, allowing us to devote a couple of hours to admiring and taking photos of as many doors as we could. They are all utterly charming.
One of Valloria’s many gems is its only restaurant 'Antiche Bontá'. After we sat down the owner, Paolo, came to our table and so I asked for the menu. Paolo informed me that they did not have a written menu and instead would just tell me what was on offer for lunch. He listed four starters, two 'primi', two 'secondi' and two desserts. I translated everything quickly to Ian and ordered starters of artichokes and aubergine ravioli. Paolo shook his head and said 'Signora, Lei non deve scegliere' (Madam, you do not have to choose). I responded 'come, non posso scegliere ?' (How come? Why can't I choose?). Paolo said 'Perché vi portiamo tutto!' (Because, we will bring you everything!). We could not believe it but soon everything on the menu had been across our table, about twelve courses in all. It was one of the best meals of our lives and subsequently a very memorable experience. We also managed to empty two thirds of a bottle of wine, not quite enough to dispose of the bottle and hide the evidence. Consumption was naturally biased towards the passenger seat of the car, for some reason the backseat driver decided it would be proper to enjoy a snooze or “piccolo riposo” on the trip back down the mountain.
