Quote of the Day

We cannot command nature except by obeying her. Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

Quote of the Day
provided by The Free Library

Genoa Aquarium is a spectacular structure. Its tanks, containing approximately four million litres of water, make it unique in Europe.

These tanks reproduce the natural habitats of the Mediterranean Sea and the World’s oceans and at same time respect their biological equilibrium. The technological and aesthetic solution adopted are among the most advanced in the world, and the 50 tanks, four of wich are oceanic, house over 1000 different species

The Major Attractions are: the Penguins, the Red Sea Tank, the Seals, the Coral,
Sharks and Dolphins

How to get there

from Conference Centre: Volabus to Stazione P.Principe and then normal bus, or Sheraton shuttle.

by car: “Genova Ovest” mortoway Exit, take the overground to “Piazza Cavour” exit.

by train: from “P.Principe” Station (bus n.1-3-7-8-38); from “Brignole” Station (bus n.12-15).In front of the Acquarium you could visit the Pirate Galleon used on Roman Polansky’s movie, or take a look to the first Genoa Port-Crane (based on water pressure).
You could also take the boat service to S.Margherita where you will board a “Submarine” for an unique journey of one hour and half to a depth of 50 m; large portholes will permit you to admire the beautiful flora and fauna of Portofino.

There are other beaches for pets in Liguria but they are all private.

The Vesima beach is equipped with water fountains and hoses as well as a distributor of shovels and plastic bags for those needing to to clean up after their pets.

“The Vesima beach is dedicated to domestic animals. It is an experiment aimed at meeting the needs of the many people who every summer do not know where to bring their pets,” explained the municipal councillor for animals Maria Rosa Zerega.

“We have calculated that one out of four families in Genoa have at least dog or a cat. So Vesima beach plays a social function and is also an alternative to abandoning animals,” she added, referring to Italians who abandon their pets when going on holiday.

Since 8 years this event is taking place and in the mean time it has become the most important of its kind in the Mediterrenean .

Manchaster United star Wayne Rooney and his girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin are planning their wedding in the most chic Riviera area Santa Margherita Ligure, near Portofino . Located in the province of Genoa, on the Italian Riviera, its small harbor is considered to be among the most beautiful of Mediterranean ports.

The ceremony is scheduled this Thursday in Villa Durazzo, Santa Margherita Ligure, where also Rod Stewart and his new wife Penny Lancaster got married.

The celebrity couple chose two of the most outstanding gardens of Liguria as venues for their civil ceremony, Villa Durazzo and the religious blessing, La Cervara Abbey ( dating back to 1300) on top of a cliff with a breathtaking view of the sea .

La Cervara Abbey was founded by Benedictine monks in 1361 and it houses one of the rare monumental gardens in Liguria with pergolas and terraces built perpendicularly to the sea of Portofino. Among the botanic rarities there are a secular pepper tree and a purple wisteria which are several centuries old.

Villa Durazzo is a 17th century residence built by the Durazzo Marquises and it is set in the midst of a 19th century Romantic park with Mediterranean and exotic plants and a gracious formal garden recently rediscovered and promoted. One of the most outstanding features of this villa and garden is the terrace which displays decorations and arabesques in white and black stones and a great collection of palm trees and cycas.

Both gardens together with 24 other magnificent gardens are now part of a new initiative “A sea of gardens” recently launched by the Councillor for Tourism of the Liguria Region, Ms Margherita Bozzano. This is the first regional circuit of historical and modern, public and private gardens which can be visited and that will no doubt increase interest in this lovely part of Italy already known for its world famous seaside resorts and impeccable standards of hospitality.

The mega yacht ” Alysia ” has been chartered for the 3 days celebration and the couple has organized 5 private jets to take the 64 guests from the UK to Nice and then, on the yacht, to Portofino .

The choice of venue and other details have been kept secret, but some details have leaked out. The cost of the wedding is estimated to be in the region of £5m.

Guests will be given a box containing a butterfly to release at the wedding.The British-born designer Georgina Chapman owns the Marchesa designer label which has designed the wedding gown. Costing up to £200,000, the dress is thought to include pearls and crystals.The bride made six trips with her mother to the city for wedding dress fittings.

Coleen and Wayne are both staunch Catholics. Coleen has chosen to fly her local parish priest out from Croxteth, Liverpool, to oversee the ceremony.

1. Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Finely chop the pancetta, having first removed any rind. Finely grate both cheeses and mix them together. Beat the eggs in a medium bowl, season with a little freshly grated black pepper and set everything aside.

2. Add 1 tsp salt to the boiling water, add the spaghetti and when the water comes back to the boil, cook at a constant simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until al dente (just cooked).
3. Squash the garlic with the blade of a knife, just to bruise it. While the spaghetti is cooking, fry the pancetta with the garlic. Drop the butter into a large wide frying pan or wok and, as soon as the butter has melted, tip in the pancetta and garlic. Leave these to cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the pancetta is golden and crisp. The garlic has now imparted its flavour, so take it out with a slotted spoon and discard.

4.  

   Keep the heat under the pancetta on low.When the pasta is ready lift it from the water with a pasta fork or tongs and put it in the frying pan with the pancetta (see left). Don’t worry if a little water drops in the pan as well (you want this to happen) and don’t throw the rest of the pasta water away yet.

5. Mix most of the cheese in with the eggs, keeping a small handful back for sprinkling over later. Take the pan of spaghetti and pancetta off the heat. Now quickly pour in the eggs and cheese and, using the tongs or a long fork, lift up the spaghetti so it mixes easily with the egg mixture, which thickens but doesn’t scramble, and everything is coated. Add extra pasta cooking water to keep it saucy (several tablespoons should do it). You don’t want it wet, just moist. Season with a little salt, if needed.

6.  

   Use a long-pronged fork to twist the pasta on to the serving plate or bowl. Serve immediately with a little sprinkling of the remaining cheese and a grating of black pepper. If the dish does get a little dry before serving, splash in some more hot pasta water and the glossy sauciness will be revived.

    

The Riviera di Levante is the coast east of Genoa. Despite their evident popularity it ensures pretty walking and dramatic scenery.

The green lands around Portofino, Italy’s wealthiest promontory 38km east of Genoa, are protected by the Parco Naturale Regionale di Portofino.

Wandering Camogli’s alleys and cobbled streets, 25km east of Genoa, it is hard not to be taken aback by the painstaking trompe l’oeil decoration. From here, boats nip across to Punta Chiappi, a rocky crop on the Portofino promontory.

San Fruttuoso is dominated by the Benedictine abbey Abbazia di San Fruttuoso di Capodimonte. San Fruttuoso is only accessibile on foot from Camogli or Portofino. Portofino is Liguria’s most chichi spot. The huddle of pastel-coloured houses around the portside square is a delight.

Heading north along the coastal road is the Abbazia della Cervara which is surrounded by monumental gardens.

Santa Margherita is known for its orange blossoms and lace. In a sheltered bay on the eastern side of Portofino promontory on the Golfo di Tigullio, its waterfront is a jumble of one-time fishing cottages, elegant hotels with Liberty facades and moored million-dollar yachts.

Sailing, waterskiing, scuba diving and walking opportunities abound. Rapallo, overlooking the Gulf of Tigullio, has an air of bustle independent of tourists that towns further down the promontory lack.

Bright blue changing cabins line its sandy beach and lend the palm-tree-studded waterfront an old-fashioned air. The stretch of coast between the Portofino promontory and the Cinque Terre has some of the Riviera di Levante’s best beaches, although the rash of resorts – Chiavari, Lavagna, Sestri Levante, Deiva Marina and Levanto. Chiavari, with an arcaded old town is the main access point inland.

La Spezia is a large naval base and a provincial capital. The city centre is sandwiched between the naval base and the commercial port.

Porto Venere is 12km south of La Spezia. At the end of the quay a Cinque Terre panorama unfolds from the rocky terraces of Grotta Arpaia. Just off the promontory lies the tiny islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto.

At the southeastern end of the Riviera di Levante, Lerici is an exclusive summer refuge for wealthy Italians.

From Lerici a scenic 3km coastal stroll leads north to San Terenzo, a seaside village with a sandy beach and Genoese castle.

Another coastal stroll, 4km south, takes you past magnificent little bays to Tellaro, a fishing hamlet.
Val di Magra forms the easternmost tongue of Ligurian territory. Nature walks abound in this region, much of which is protected by the Parco di Montemarcello-Magra which has an information centre in Sarzana.

Stretching southwest from Genoa to France, the Riviera di Ponente is more developed than the eastern side. Savona’s medieval centre is dominated by the baroque Cattedrale di Nostra Signora Assunta.

With a good beach and affordable accomodation, Finale Ligure is a handy base for exploring the Riviera di Ponente. Finale Marina, on the waterfront, is where most hotels and restaurants languish.

In addition to 3km of white beaches pretty Alassio boasts its own variety of baci, sugary concoctions comprising two biscuits whirls sandwiched together with chocolate cream.

Imperia is the main city of Liguria’s westernmost province, commonly known as the Riviera dei Fiori.

San Remo gained prominence as a resort for Europe’s social elite, in the mid to late 19th century. Today, although a few hotels thrive as luxury resorts, many from that period are long past their prime and are cut off from the beach by the railway line. In September is held the Rallye San Remo.

A few kilometres west of San Remo is built up Bordighera. Bordighera’s fame rests on a centuries-old monopoly of the Holy Week palm business. The Vatican selects its branches exclusively from the palms along the promenade, Lungomare Argentina.

Ventimiglia’s Roman ruins include an amphitheatre. Its medieval town squats on a hill on the western bank of the River Roia.

This beautiful sea view Villa above Lerici is for sale

The Gulf of La Spezia is one of the most wide and deep inlets of the whole Tyrrhenian coast. It is encircled by two promontories and delimited by an amphitheater of hills and mountains. The coasts are mainly high and jagged, with imposing rocky spurs that separate the calm bays, well-protected from the wind.
For over 2,000 years, the beauty of these places has been sung by the words of poets and writers and has been portrayed by the works of painters and artists who were attracted by the nature which was wild but at the same time friendly to this gulf, impressed by the light sea breeze, by the winding hills or by the harsh rocks steeply overlooking the sea.

The name Golfo dei Poeti (Gulf of the Poets) was born in this way: thanks to the famous people that have lived the atmospheres of this landscape, silent and romantic atmospheres that blend with the most intimate feelings of the soul.

magnificent villa for sale overlooking the Gulf of the Poets

A typical Italian meal will consist of:

• A combination of starters called antipasti (the term antipasto meaning “before the pasta”). The antipasti could include cold meats (ham, salami, mortadella, or coppa), fish and various versions of seafood (anchovies, sardines, tuna fish), olives, mushrooms and other vegetables (peppers in olive oil, aubergines, artichokes). Small quiches, vegetable pies, stuffed vegetables, pieces of pizza, ham and melon, tomatoes and mozzarella may also be served
• A warm starter, called primo piatto, which may include: pasta in all its different shapes and tastes (for example with vegetables, fish, meat or sauce and cheese), or rice cooked as a risotto, gnocchi (small dumplings made of potatoes or flour or both), polenta which is made out of corn flour or some kind of soup or minestrone.
  • There are many types of pasta, each one usually named according to its shape. Each shape (due to it’s ability to hold a sauce) complements a specific sauce. Whether the pasta is fresh or dry, it has to be cooked in boiling water until it is al dente (”to the tooth”/firm). Some pastas such as spaghetti, tagliatelle, linguini, fettucini or vermicelli are long and thin whereas other ones have very different shapes: penne are hollow oblongs, conchiglie look like shells, farfalle look like butterflies, spirali like spirals. Some pasta (ravioli, lasagna or cannelloni) may be stuffed or garnished with meat or vegetables
• A main dish, the secondo piatto is generally fish or meat served with or without a side dish (contorno). In main courses, the most common meats will be veal, chicken and pork. Lamb is also served, especially during feasts such as Easter or Christmas, and beef is mainly served as steak (bistecca). Vegetables (potatoes, carrots, or beans) and salads may be served with the main dish
• A dessert, often fruit and/or ice-cream, is popular; the best known desserts include tiramisu, panna cotta, and zabaglione