Our Italian “simply benissimo” culinary experience in the Ligurian region confirmed for us that dreams do come true.

This was a long-standing aspiration for my husband and I, the desire to shop, cook and eat in an environment that pleased the palate, and connect with people who love food!
We are independent travellers, so joining this culinary adventure to Italy, offered by the Rustico Cooking School of New York, did evoke a bit of trepidation. We were afraid of being slotted into a group led by an officious organizer who provided us with “Hello, my name is” tags and herded us into an orderly line.

Our fears were quickly dashed; having settled nicely on the appointed day into historic accommodation in a seaside, art deco hotel in the village of Rapallo, we joined the group for a welcome drink and introductions. This first meeting with Micol and Dino, owners of Rustico, instantly put us at ease. They turned out to be an adorable couple: friendly, down to earth and knowledgeable. We knew we had chosen well, even before the first of the extraordinary tables and many adventures that comprised our marvellous week together.

We enjoyed lunch at Vesuvio in Rapallo, featuring the seafood cuisine of Liguria. That meal confirmed we needed good appetites; Micol told us to “taste” but not to feel pressured to eat.
The culinary adventures offered by Rustico are different from most; we chose it for that reason. Instead of being headquartered in a villa, adventuring to local markets for supplies, then home to learn and cook, our gastronomic venture promised the perfect combination of hands-on food preparation, behind-the-scenes glimpses into the various local delicacies, and free time for excursions. All our food and paired dinner wines, instruction, accommodation and transportation was included in the price.

We toured Frantoio Bo in Sestri Levante, an ancient family-run olive oil mill, where we tasted and developed an appreciation for the qualities of the best olive oil. Sugar highs were experienced with an outing to the Romanengo candy and chocolate factory in Genova, while the process of production was demonstrated, using centuries old equipment. Their Easter eggs delighted the child in all of us. Gelati rounded off the day’s sampling and education at Defilla, the premier place for a cooling treat in Chiavari.

Walter’s petite boutique winery, hidden in a basement cave in his humble hillside home in Riomaggiore, found us sipping his prize-winning wines, while enjoying a captivating wine-making lesson in the simplest of situations. Visiting with Walter came at the end of a trek along the promenade, the Via dell’Amore, that clung precariously to the scrap of land fronting the sea, as we walked from Manarola to Riomaggiore, two of the five picturesque villages of the Cinque Terre.

Our hands-on experiences were loaded with fun as well as being instructive. With our eyes dazzled by all we made, we pled for release from cleaning our plates while still begging for more. Our palates sang as we discovered that the humble blending of herbs, revered basil, with nuts – tiny pinoli and crunchy walnuts – with fresh sea bounties such as cuttlefish, calamari, mussels or bream, and superb olive oil, could produce simply delicious meals.

Many Ligurians contributed to the success of our journey, where we were welcomed and treated as family. At Manuelina’s in Recco, we cobbled together “Foccacia de Recco,” a cheese filled version of this classic dimpled flatbread that has made Chef Mario famous across Italy.

The first of many tantalizing tastes we created: knead oil, water and flour together and stretch it into car-tire sized paper-thin dough. Next, top with stracchino, a fresh cheese similar in texture to a creamy goat cheese. Top this with another thin layer of dough, bake in a very hot oven until the top is crisp and the cheese oozes. Corzetti pasta with fresh herbal, nutty filling completed our hands-on portion while Mario prepared a towering seafood salad as part of the dinner and wine pairing that was to come.

One pleasurable morning, we were welcomed to the family run pasta shop Pastificio Dasso in Rapallo. Working in the spotless kitchen, with gleaming stainless steel appliances, the owner, Mauritizia, and the shop’s master pastina, Maria, guided us while we kneaded dough into pasta. We hand-cranked corzetti, ravioli, and nun’s hat or agnolotti through an old, highly polished pasta machine and blended a fresh basil, pinoli filling for the ravioli.

We enjoyed our successes at lunch, ending with generous pieces of Mauritizia’s nona’s still-warm apple cake, baked that morning and delivered, by bicycle, from the hills above the shop.

A very early misty morning found us at Ristorante U’Giancu, a five-star, local favourite Genovan dining spot overseen by owner and head chef Fausto Oneto, a legend in Italy and many parts of the world. Crazy busy morning: 14 dishes prepared by us under his tutelage!

The story of the restaurant’s origin is delightful. Fausto’s momma used to cook for her sons with produce from her garden. One day, passersby knocked on her door, drawn by the heavenly aromas. After Momma Oneto fed this group, word spread, more visitors arrived; soon she realized she could charge for her meals, and so U’Giancu was born.

Still on the original spot, a substantial building houses the restaurant. We picked our produce from the same garden that began it all – Momma watching over us from her sepia-toned photo on the wall.

Fausto and his handsome sous-chef son led us through the preparations of a multi-course Ligurian lunch. We made two different foccacias, one topped with finely sliced red onion and the other with sea salt and olive oil. Also, we made fresh ravioli and its filling, and tagliatelle with basil pesto. We prepped racks of herbed lamb, and deep fried zucchini flowerets, a mushroom tart, a fresh asparagus tart, robustly flavoured roasted potatoes and for dessert, a sweet, fresh lemon gelati and a fresh pear chocolate cake.

While cramming all these experiences into seven days, we still had time to enjoy other experiences. We spent a couple of hours at an outdoor market in Rapallo, followed by shopping bliss at a salumeria to taste and buy local cheeses, cured meats, dried pastas, sauces and olive oils.

A refreshing half-hour boat ride from Rapallo’s marine dock delivered us to the teardrop shaped harbour of Portofino. The afternoon was spent exploring its twisty cobbled lanes, perusing the art galleries, taking fizzy lemonade on the palazzo facing the harbour, and enjoying the best in people watching! Our time in Portofino culminated with dinner at a premier restaurant, Trattoria del Marinaio. Dinner featured freshly caught fish and wine pairings at tables fronting the picturesque harbour.

Time for dinners at many of Liguria’s restaurants was somehow found: A sumptuous dinner in Rapallo; a grand seafood dinner at Ristorante Rosa in the classic fisherman’s town, Camogli; lunches of crispy, chickpea farinata (pancake) at Tre Merli in Genova, and seafood delicacies at Polpo Mario in Sestri Levante and the welcome lunch at Vesuvio. Our final evening meal we shared outside Genova at Ristorante Ferrando, overseen by the owner. We left there as family as well!

Far too soon, our week was over, goodbyes exchanged and promises made to stay in touch. Our sense of having spent a comfortable week with family is tucked into our memory book, along with pictures that will bring joy for years to come. Molto bene!

For more information, visit online at www.rusticocooking.com

OCTOBER 2011 SENIOR LIVING MAGAZINE VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND