Under 30kms and less than an hour east of Nice, lies the lovely Riviera town of Ventimiglia, Italy. We had visited the towns between Nice and the eastern French Riviera in a previous trip but stopped short of the border, at Menton (another lovely medieval town, by the way). At first I was going to book one night in Menton, then 2 nights in San Remo, but I was starting to feel that a slower pace was in order. We found a sweet one bedroom apartment on the seaside.
We all know that Italy is renowned for good food (and wine), so it was no surprise that we found a restaurant just below our apartment building that served all kinds of gluten free pasta and pizzas. And that was the first stop once we got settled in the apartment – a slow lunch overlooking the Med. In the end, I opted for swordfish, rather than pasta. I did manage to satisfy my pasta craving with a meal cooked in our own kitchen. Other local food/drink we consumed over the next few days were the ubiquitous gelato (make mine lemon sorbet) and Leon’s new craving – Limoncello Spritz.
The first evening, we took a long walk along the seawall, as far east as our legs could carry us at the end of many days of walking. The sunset looking west to the medieval town was spectacular. Ventimiglia is divided by a river, with the new town to the east and the old town up on a hill to the west.
Of course we had to explore the old town on the second day. It’s a steep walk up, through winding cobblestones, front doors with flowers on the stoop and the feeling that this is very much a place where people live year-round. This is my kind of tourist attraction (excuse the oxymoron). We came upon the Church of San Michele Arcangelo was erected in the 10th century by the Counts of Ventimiglia on the foundations of a pagan temple (as per Wikipedia). Well it was closed but the piazza in front was lovely and the views nearby even better.
On the way up to old town, we passed by the marina and decided to stop for our daily coffee and treat. The sun was warm and we were really starting to slow down our pace and enjoy the Mediterranean vibe. As usual, we took time to look at the yachts.
On Friday morning, we decided to visit San Remo. As we left the apartment, we discovered it was market day. Gosh, we should have just stayed in Ventimiglia because I must say San Remo was not memorable to me. Train distance was about 15 kms each way, only 11 minutes between towns. So the total distance travelled in the part of the trip was about 60 kms. We were really slowing down.
On the last morning, we stopped for coffee across from the train station before we made our way to Milano. I loved visiting this beautiful town. I could dream that renting that little apartment for 3 months or owning it and furnishing it to my taste would be a lovely getaway. In my dreams anyway.
Fraser Valley Hygge 