Preview into the Food, Wine & Travel of Liguria

We did it! Our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group has circled all 20 regions of Italy wrapping up the tour with Liguria this month. To give you a sense of place, Ligura, also known as the Italian Riviera, is a coastal region located in northwestern Italy. It borders Piedmont to the north, Tuscany and the Emilia Romagna to the southeast and if you follow the coastline you'll end up in the French Riviera. With the sun glistening off the Tirreno Sea the landscape is beautiful as it's terraced land with rocky mountains. The climate here is rather mild as well. Liguria is also home to the capital and large port of Genoa.

The Cinque Terre by Margie Miklas

The Food of Liguria

As you can imagine from a region that is situated along the coast, seafood is the main protein of this region. Although, one of the most popular culinary items that you'll discover from this region is pesto, in particular pesto alla genovese. It's one of my favorite things to make and enjoy in the summer time. Made of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pine nuts, garlic and parmigiano reggiano. A perfect accompaniment to the unique pastas of Liguria such as trenette (flat and thin) and fidelini (long and thin) as well as ravioli. You'll also find many vegetables, soups including ciuppin originating from Genoa and very similar to what we know as cioppino. Lastly, breads are also popular including farinata, bread made of chickpea flour, and the popular focaccia, unleavened flatbread made with many flavorings including olives, herbs, cheese, etc.

Pesto alla Genovese by Thomas Ulrich

Wines of Liguria

A very challenging terrain Liguria provides when it comes to winemaking. This region is mostly comprised of smaller sized wineries and it's known for it's mineral driven whites including white grapes such as pigato, bosco, albarola and vermentino. The reds of the region are ormeasco di pornassio, which I'll be writing about later this month, and rossese di dolceaqua, a lighter, fruity wine with some spice. Finish off your meal or enjoy some midday sipping along the sea with the sweeter style wine of the region, schiacchetra. The well traversed Cinque Terre is one of the unique wine producing areas of the region that must use a monorail system in order to tend to their vineyards and harvest due to the steep lay of the land.

Wine map of Liguria ~ Copyright of Federdoc

Join us this Saturday on Twitter live at 11am Est @ #ItalianFWT to chat about everything Liguria has to offer. Here is a preview of what's to come from our Italian blogging group.

Vino Travels – Wine & Sunshine on the Italian Riviera

Cooking Chat – Ligurian Pesto Pasta with Wine Pairing

Food Wine Click – Trofie al Pesto with Cinque Terre DOC

Girl's Gotta Drink – A Cinque Terre Alternative? 5 Less Touristy Italian Riviera Destinations

Rockin Red Blog – Two Hours in Ligura with #ItalianFWT

Avvinare– Liguria – Home to a Host of Unsung Wines

L'Occasion – Life is Good in Liguria
The Wining Hour - Ligurian Pigato with Pesto Focaccia and Shellfish
Culinary Adventures with Camilla - Carciofi Crudi

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