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Liguria
The Mediterranean has always played a
significant role in the coastal region of Liguria. The port of
Genoa, the base of wealthy merchant families in the Middle Ages, is
the regional capital in which Christopher Columbus learned the
skills that would lead him to the Americas in 1492. The bond with
the sea is also expressed in what the Ligurians call the Cucina
del Ritorno, the dishes women prepared for their men when they
returned from fishing. Tuna, swordfish, sardines and dried fish
such as baccala and stoccafisso play an important
role in cooking, together with fresh vegetables and regional
products such as olive oil and pasta, in combination with pesto,
the region's undisputable signature dish.
Compared to some other parts of Italy, viticulture in Liguria is relatively small-scaled due to the lack of flat areas. Some viticulture in this region could even be labelled heroic, considering the tending of the vines on the steep and laborious terraces such as in the DOC of Cinque Terre near La Spezia. Further east, crossing the border with Tuscany, the DOC of Colli di Lune is Luguria's southernmost winegrowing area. Here the local grape Vermentino is dominant, producing crisp, vibrant, unoaked varietal white wines.