Return to Fezzano

Last time we were in Italy, we spent a good part of the summer in a village on the shores of the Gulf of La Spezia in Liguria. Fezzano is one of 13 villages dotted around the bay and, in our view, one of the most beautiful.

Further west, over the Apennine mountains, you’ll find the much better known — and very much more popular — Cinque Terre.

While Fezzano is more tranquil than the villages of the Cinque Terre, certainly other tourists like us do make their way here. Though not nearly so many. And most stay only for a day or two. At the weekend, the town is alive with residents and visitors coming and going on boats, splashing about in the sea or dining at one of the village’s excellent restaurants. But during the week, even now at the height of summer, a mid-morning stroll along the lungomare reveals just a few groups of locals sitting in the shade, catching up on the news.

The waterfront here is only 500-metres long, with the yacht club tucked around a corner at one end, and the small, rocky beach at the other.

Between the two, on Fezzano’s main street, a row of tall houses faces the bay. Behind them, a maze of narrow stone paths winds up the steep hill through the rest of the village.

This is the kind of place where the mayor stops on the path for a chat, where the second-generation owner of the best restaurant in town is a guitar-playing bio-chemistry professor, and where the lady at the corner store — who’s been behind the counter for 40 years — is the cousin of your friend’s mother.

Fezzano is, quite simply, fabulous. It’s little wonder we couldn’t wait to return.

We’re so delighted to be back in Fezzano.

This is our comfortable home for the next few weeks.

It’s very traditional and has all the features of a typical 'casa' in this part of Italy.

 

 

And a pleasant little courtyard at the front that catches the afternoon sun.

The added bonus is views like this from the windows on both levels.

But views come with a cost - in this case a long, steep climb up the hill.

But it's a lovely walk and, as we keep telling each other, excellent exercise to burn off all that gelato!

This little square is about halfway up. If you pass mid-morning or in the late afternoon, there's sure to be a group of ladies sitting out, having a chat.

Fezzano is also where we met our dear friends, Rita and Elio. Elio’s grandparents lived in the village, his mother grew up here and, all his life, Elio has spent his summers in Fezzano.

It was so wonderful to see them again! On our first evening here, we shared a ‘reunion’ dinner of delicious seafood taken from the waters right in front of us.

The Gulf of La Spezia is also home to 'Il Palio', the famous rowing race that's been held here for almost a century.

This past weekend, the village of Le Grazie hosted one of the all-important heats of the event.

10 minutes further south along the coast, Le Grazie is a bit bigger and busier than Fezzano, but pretty nonetheless.

 

 

The Palio is a hotly-contested race. All 13 villages around the bay put up a boat, each one hand-made in the tradition of the original timber fishing ‘gozzi’.

Passions run high … vocal supporters of team Le Grazie.

But, on the day, victory eluded the home team. Very happily, Fezzano took out both the women’s and men’s events.

The victorious men return to the adulation of the crowd. 🙂

 

The Fezzano women's team receiving their trophy.

 

And the Green Team took out the prize for best overall on the day.

An evening of celebration followed before it was time to hit the road … top down on a beautiful summer evening, soft rock Radio Monte Carlo on the dial, cruising the curves of the coastal road. (Greg was absolutely in his element!)

And home to Fezzano for gelato and a final passeggiata along the waterfront.

A fabulous end to a wonderful weekend. (I see how this is panning out - but don't worry, we won't close every post with a selfie!)