Fezzano

Summer is festival season in the Gulf of Poets. Every weekend there’s a festa or sagra in one – or often several – of the communities around the bay.

Some, such as the ‘Festival of the Mussel’ and the superbly-named ‘Salting of the Anchovy’, showcase delicious seafood. Others, like the ‘Festa Della Madonna del Carmine’ are important religious occasions. In addition to specific events like these, each community also hosts its own ‘Festa della Borgata’, Festival of the Village.

But whatever the source of the celebration, all the events share two things in common – enthusiastic locals and fabulous food.

'Our' village, Fezzano, tucked into a sheltered cove on the Gulf of Poets' western shore

It's said Fezzano was the birthplace of Italian noblewoman, Simonetta Cattaneo (1453-1476); Botticelli is thought to have been so struck by Simonetta's beauty he created his masterpiece 'The Birth of Venus' in her likeness

There's usually plenty of entertainment at the festivals

Sbandieratori; the traditional flag-waving and throwing is a skill and an art

As in many places, religious icons are important symbols; on feast days revered statues are taken from the churches and carried through the streets

Rowing is a highly competitive sport in these waters; crews from all 13 villages take part

This race, a pre-cursor to the main event in August, drew a big crowd to the waterfront at Fezzano

There were plenty of supporters on hand to cheer on their team

Though this little guy didn't seem to like his crew's chances

Team Fezzano, ready to row; the boats are 'palios' similar to the traditional wooden fishing boats known as 'gozzi'

In the end the Fezzano seniors came in third - still a pretty good result

And here's the winning crew, debriefing after the event

The prize-giving ceremony in the square

After the race it was time to get down to the serious business ... eating

Tables and benches are set up along the waterfront and, for just a few euros, you can enjoy plates of sensational local seafood cooked by villagers and served by teams of young and old alike

A chance meeting on our first week in Fezzano (in the food order line at the festival) was the start of a wonderful friendship with Rita and Elio

After dinner, when the sun goes down, the real fun begins - foam parties

Dancing

And fireworks - Fezzano in full festival mode

The people here are proud of their village - it's not hard to see why

It's lovely - the long waterfront includes large shaded areas and some good little bars and restaurants

Aperitivo view

Dinner view

A pleasant spot for a post-dinner passeggiata on a warm evening with a rising moon

Fessano is the sort of place where you can enjoy a great meal

And later be entertained by the restaurateurs

Fezzano's little beach

It's popular with locals

Though just dropping into the water between the moored boats is another good option

There are a couple of walking trails around Fezzano - this one is the Via dei Crucis, the Way of the Cross

It starts in Fezzano and leads south to Portovenere

Delivering some great views along the way

On other days, though, the priority was to stay home and watch the Bombers win! 🙂

So far on our travels we've come across a handful of places where we've thought 'yes, we could definitely live here'

Fezzano is one of them; we're pretty sure we'll be back