BEST QUALITY PRODUCTS

Our biodiversity heritage testifies the strong relationship between the land and its inhabitants

30 December 2021

05 January 2022

This precious citrus arrived to us from distant China, almost certainly imported by a sailor. Between Pietra Ligure and Varazze it has perfectly acclimatized. In the 20s of the twentieth century, from nearby France, the fashion for candied chinotti with Maraschino spread as an excellent digestive, and also became very popular on the Riviera.

The fruit, similar in appearance to a small mandarin, is not immediately edible (too bitter) and needs treatment. Originally it was the women who took care of “washing” it for 40 days in sea water, replaced every day.

Even today, we can consume them in different forms: candied fruit, maraschino candied fruit, candied fruit covered with chocolate, or as jams (green or orange depending on the time of harvest). A liqueur is also obtained. A curiosity: in Pietra Ligure there is the oldest chinotto plant of which we have certain information.

WHERE TO FIND IT… It is possible to visit the oldest “chinotteto” in Pietra Ligure, by contacting Luca Ottone Farm via Pollupice 35/a

In the 1930s, Antonio “U Bacan” Michelini and his son Pietro, known as “Pedrin”, selected new varieties of peaches including the Dessiè, the Dantin and the most famous of all: the Michelini peach, which soon spread along the coast especially in Val Maremola, in the hinterland of Pietra Ligure.
The fruit ripens in early August, is white-fleshed, tinged with pink and red, juicy and fragrant. A festival was dedicated to Michelini peaches in the heart of summer, during which farmers distributed the delicious fruit that can still be found today among the producers of the valley.

The territory of Pietra Ligure and its surroundings is enriched by the purple color of the lavender bushes thanks to the participation, by the Municipality, of the “Lavender Riviera dei Fiori” project. Lavender is a very versatile plant, with unexpected uses even in the kitchen, thanks to its essential oils. The flowers have a greater aromatic intensity and are mainly used in the preparation of delicious desserts while the more delicate leaves are used for savory dishes. Essential oils also possess soothing properties. The lavatory is also a source of life for bees.

WHERE TO FIND IT … It is possible to visit the local producer Azienda Agricola Jalondelile, via S. Sebastiano 37

Pietra Ligure Gourmet is the result of a selection made by experts in collaboration with the Slow Food Albenga Finale Alassio Conduct. The goal is to map agricultural products, to select good and fair producers and to hand down traditional recipes. To report products, producers and recipes, you can contact the Tourist Information Office.

FOOD

Path of the ancient traditions of Liguria

FOOD

Trail of scents, tastes and aromas of Liguria

FOOD

For the little ones: a fun gourmet workshop!

MANI IN PASTA: FOCACCIA WITH AROMATIC HERBS

FOOD

For the little ones: a fun gourmet workshop!

FOOD

The late-summer event dedicated to typical Italian sweets and pastries

FOOD

Two itineraries for a full-immersion traditional food experience

FOOD

Dinners by Gastronomica. An event to celebrate Liguria through the music that made it famous all over the world!

FOOD

Dinners by Gastronomica. An event to celebrate Liguria through the music that made it famous all over the world!

EXPERIENCE

Delicious Pietra: our cuisine

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A millenary history with a challenging terroir and a production that requires sacrifice and passion.

The history of Ligurian wine goes back thousands of years but only in the last 50 years has the production entered the market, growing more and more in presence and quality, also testified by the prestigious awards eceived from guides such as “Il Gambero Rosso”. Observing the typical terraces overlooking the sea or climbing inland, one understands how heroic it is to produce wine in this land where everything is done by hand! For this reason the productions are accurate, small in size but of the highest quality. Western Liguria is confirmed as a land of great whites, among which the Pigato, to which the most suitable soils are destined, and Vermentino, that is grown where it can breathe the sea air, stand out. But also of reds, among which the Rossese di Dolceacqua and the Ormeasco di Pornassio produced mainly in the vineyards of the sub-alpine belt and the Granaccia, historically grown closer to the sea. In recent years we have witnessed the recovery, for a pure wine production, of Barbarossa, a traditional red grape variety that was appreciated in the past thwarted in the local “Nostralino” wine to which a festival is historically dedicated in the Pietrese hamlet of Ranzi.

If grown in an inland area such as, for example, the Arroscia Valley (therefore less hot and with greater temperature variations) it expresses greater freshness, with intense and elegant aromas. Near the sea, it takes on warmer and sunnier tones. The soil (terroir) also influences the aromaticity of the grapes: on the white soils (rich in limestone) it expresses itself with greater finesse and freshness, while on the red soils (characterized by a preponderant presence of ferrous components) it acquires a strong mineral vein.
Its name derives from the Ligurian expression “pigau”, that is spotted because, when the bunch reaches maturity, a brown “dot” (the pighe) appears on the berries. It is a variety very similar to Vermentino, of which it is believed to be a spontaneous mutation. It goes perfectly with traditional dishes based on fish and vegetables and aromatic herbs.

WHERE TO TASTE… To taste a selection of the best Ligurian wines in the historic centre, also in combination with local products:
Enoteca Antica Liguria, Via Vittorio Veneto, 12
U Gunfia Gaggie, Via Giuseppe Mazzini, 73
Bottiglieria Levo Giovanni Battista, Via N.C. Regina, 6

Ligurian extra virgin olive oil is born from the first pressing of local varieties (“cultivars”). In Pietra Ligure, four cultivars are grown in particular:
TAGGIASCA the best known nationally, has a very high content in very valuable oil with a ripe fruity smell and a fruity flavor with a strong sensation of sweetness, a hint of spicy and a hint of almond and pine nut;
MERLINA small and delicate, it is grown mainly in the heat in soils exposed to the sun and has an excellent oil yield even if it is difficult to extract.
COLOMBAIA is a historic autochthonous variety, whose cultivation dates back to about eight hundred years ago, and produces an excellent oil from an organoleptic point of view, very rich in polyphenols (natural atioxidants) with a complex and elegant flavor, fruity with hints of herbaceous and a slightly aftertaste bitter.
OLIVOTTO particularly delicate variety whose oil is also suitable for babies, has a slight hint of tomato, elegance and a pleasantness that becomes almost melting.

TERRE DEGLI ANGELI
The Terre degli Angeli farm is located overlooking the coast of Pietra Ligure for about 3 hectares of land planted with olive trees of the Taggiasca, Olivotto and Colombaia cultivars from which the Rembado family has been producing two monocultivar oils Taggiasca and Olivotto and a blend for generations. . Upon reservation it is possible to have guided tastings and purchase the product directly from the company.
For info and reservations: www.agriturismoterredegliangeli.it

PARADISO DI BUI
Behind the town of Pietra Ligure we find gentle hills covered by that extraordinary plant that is the olive tree. Martina Casanova’s family lands extend right in this area. The olive groves are cared for with love and from the olive harvest we obtain products of excellent quality such as extra virgin olive oil, olives in oil or brine, olive pate.
For info and tastings, point of sale: Corso Italia 38 – Pietra Ligure

OLIO PEDRO
Olio Pedro was born in 2017 thanks to the passion of Claudio who, together with Chiara, takes over the family olive groves located along the hills of the enchanting hamlet of Ranzi at 200 meters above sea level which for over 150 years have hosted centuries-old plants of different cultivars. Today the company boasts the extraction of oil from four indigenous varieties harvested individually from which four types of different oils in purity are produced.
A choice is that of harvesting olives plant by plant that rewards quality and enhances biodiversity with the aim of preserving the traditions of a land that has always been linked to olive trees and the flavors of its fruits.
Olio Pedro has joined the Gambero Rosso “Oli D’Italia 2020” guide and for the second consecutive year has obtained the “two leaves” for the Taggiasca and Olivotto cultivars.
For info and tastings: www.oliopedro.it

THE ANCIENT MILL OF RANZI
Visiting this ancient original oil mill (around 1700) you have the feeling of going back in time … you can almost see the ox that with its strength, turning in circles, allows the gears to move and squeeze the olives. You can see the tank, complete with a plugged hole on the bottom, in which the oil is separated from the water which is then drained by removing the cap, and the hearth on which the water was brought to temperature. A journey through time to discover the gold of Liguria: oil! You can experience all this in the old village of Ranzi, on Pietra Ligure’s hills, also known for the traditional Corpus Domini flower carpet.
HOW TO VISIT
Contrada della Santa Concezione, Ranzi di Pietra Ligure
Info Ufficio IAT t. +39 019 62931550

THE LOCAL FARM MARKET
The typical “stalls” of the weekly fruit and vegetable market host the best of local agricultural production. The farmers leave their work for a few hours in the fields and among the terraces, the traditional “fasce”, to bring their products to the square, in a festive atmosphere made of scents, colors and aromas.
WHEN AND WHERE
MONDAY – WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY: AFTERNOON
Piazza San Nicolò – Piazza Einaudi – Piazza San Rocco
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Piazza San Rocco

IAT Office

Piazza Martiri della Libertà 29
17027 Pietra Ligure SV
+39 019 62931550 – +39 019 62931348
iat@comunepietraligure.it

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TOURIST BOX: Pietra Ligure City Map (PDF)

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TOURIST BOX: Pietra Ligure Val Maremola Trekking Area (PDF)

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GASTRONOMIC TOURS IN THE STONE CENTER, TASTINGS WITH LOCAL PRODUCERS AND TRADITIONAL PESTATO AT THE MORTAR WORKSHOPS Download Pietra gourmet (PDF) Vai alla scheda informativa percorsi gastronomici Vai alla pagina