Liguria is visually recognizable for its beautiful, quintessentially Italian coastline – bright-colored houses and quaint churches’ bell towers dotting each town’s waterfront, deeply green cliffsides rising dramatically above pebble beaches, sailboats and fishermen’s boats bobbing off to the side. But Ligurian cuisine is also quintessential in its “Italian-ness,” a paragon of simplicity and devotion to fresh, high-quality products.
In fact, two of the dishes that the entire world thinks of as some of the most iconically Italian – focaccia and pesto – come from Liguria. But even focaccia and pesto have more to them than meets the eye, with several variations and formats that reveal themselves the more you explore local restaurants.
With the sea never far away, Ligurian food is also very seafood (and vegetable) based rather than meat-centric, which makes it a great culinary destination for vegetarians and pescatarians. Here’s where to eat Liguria’s traditional food along the coast and beyond.
Trofie al Pesto: Osteria da ò Sigù (Camogli)
Trofie are one of the most typical Ligurian pasta shapes, and while they are small (about 1cm long and very skinny), traditional, fresh trofie are satisfyingly hearty almost like little squiggly, unrolled gnocchi. This is true in both versions of trofie that you might see throughout Liguria – one is made with a mix of flours but remains white in color, while some versions have chestnut flour added to the dough and make a more flavorful noodle.
Legend has it that trofie originated near Camogli, a quintessential seaside town between Genova and Portofino. At Osteria del Sigu, right on Camogli’s coastline, the chestnut-flour trofie are given their most classic Ligurian treatment: pesto di basilico, the sauce known around the world that Ligurians insist should still be made with a mortar and pestle per tradition, tossed with green beans and potatoes.
LISTEN: To our podcast on Pesto – A Local’s Guide.
Focaccia Genovese: Antico Forno della Casana (Genova)
Whether we realize it or not, whenever we think of classic focaccia, the image that comes to our minds is Focaccia Genovese. Of course, different Italian regions have similar breads that resemble focaccia but might have a more specific local name; but focaccia as we know it – perfectly salted, crisp on the bottom, dimpled with thumbprints on the top, slathered in (local) olive oil – is Genovese right to its very bones. Go to Genova’s Antico Forno della Casana for a slice (or several) and lick the Ligurian olive oil (which some say is the best in Italy) off of your fingers.
Corzetti: Pastificio Vecchie Mura (Chiavari)
Corzetti (or croxetti) are a traditional Ligurian pasta shape that are enchanting when you come across them. These thin discs of pasta are hand-stamped on one side with designs that make them look like fanciful, giant coins. Historically, corzetti were stamped with the shape of a cross (the name stems from the Italian croce), and later the crests of aristocratic families, but in more modern times the stamp designs have evolved into more every day but still charmingly rustic images (sheafs of wheat, a bubbling soup pot, a sailboat).
The thin, delicate texture of the disks dictates minimalism in their presentation – traditionally a simple combination of pine nuts and marjoram and a touch of olive oil and cheese, was all that was used to dress the corzetti, though this combination might also be turned into pesto to coat the pasta a bit more.
Corzetti these days are difficult to find; the fresh, traditional version is labor-intensive for restaurants, and the molds used to stamp the discs – made by local, small-business artisan carvers who make everything by hand – are a rare thing to source. However, fresh pasta shops keep the tradition alive.
In Chiavari, a small city on the southern coast just past the Golfo Paradiso with medieval charm and a vibrant culinary scene, you can find corzetti at the Pastificio Vecchie Mure, a pasta shop in Chiavari’s center. You just have to place an order ahead since the corzetti are not made daily, but fortunately, it’s possible to do so whether you want one serving’s worth or twenty.
Mandilli di Seta: Osteria Da Vittorio dal 1925 (Chiavari)
Mandilli di seta, or “silk handkerchiefs” – another Ligurian pasta bestowing a certain degree of effortless elegance – are tissue-thin, large squares of fresh pasta traditionally dressed in either pesto di basilico or Liguria’s underrated walnut pesto, or salsa di noci – white sauce rather than green, made from walnuts, milk or ricotta, and olive oil.
At Osteria dal Vittorio in Chiavari, you’ll see the pasta listed in the local dialect as mandilli de s(a)ea with traditional pesto. (Though you can try the salsa di noci with the osteria’s pansotti, Liguria’s typical filled pasta).
Focaccia di Recco: La Baracchetta di Biagio (Recco)
Focaccia di Recco is not as widely known as Focaccia Genovese, but it arguably inspires more of a cult following of devotees for its decadence and local-specialty factor – in fact, it earned IGP status in 2015, joining the ranks of Italy’s other government-regulated artisanal foods like Modena’s balsamic vinegar and Sicilian blood oranges. Focaccia di Recco comes, of course, from Recco, a riviera town between Genova and Chiavari; under the IGP regulations, it can be made only in Recco and the neighboring towns Camogli and Sori to be considered the authentic product.
It is not so much a bread as it is a large cheese-filled disc that happens to have dough around it merely as a vehicle for the cheese. You could call it a flatbread of sorts instead; the two extremely thin (almost transparent-thin) layers of dough are not made with yeast as focaccia genovese is, which helps them stay flat and thin even when baked. After being rolled out, the bottom layer is topped with dollops of cheese – historically a local one called prescinsua, but these days crescenza or stracchino is used as a more widely available equivalent – before it is topped with the second layer and baked. The crispy, slightly charred dough crackles against the oozing cheese in every addictive bite.
In Recco, head to La Baracchetta di Biagio, right on the water, to make your focaccia pilgrimage a scenic one. Pro tip: In the summer months, even if the coast mercifully remains mild enough to enjoy most piping-hot foods, it’s just as satisfying to eat focaccia di recco cold (just wait an hour or two after you pick it up from the bakery), preferably on the water and/or with a spritz in hand. (If you’re staying in or passing through Camogli, the Revello bakery (below) makes a fabulous, certified-authentic focaccia di Recco as well.)
LEARN: More about these dishes in our podcast Pesto, pasta and the dishes of Liguria.
Torte Salate: Focaccieria Cose Buone (Camogli)
The Ligurians love savory tarts. Picture the Italian torta pasqualina (the well-known “Easter pie” filled with leafy greens, ricotta, and eggs) and you’ll be able to picture the general format of torte salate – typically, they are double-crusted and vegetable-based, although not all possess the dramatic height of the pasqualina (which is fairly ubiquitous year-round in Liguria).
The vegetable fillings might be zucca (winter squash), zucchini, or chard or other greens, usually mixed with some ricotta or other cheese and sandwiched between thin layers of savory pastry. But one of the more unusual (and most delicious) varieties, such as at Focacceria Cose Buone on Camogli’s waterfront, is the torta di riso – a tart filled with rice cooked into a cheesy, risotto-like filling that is the local favorite above all the rest. If any Ligurian food could be called street food, it would be this!
Panissa: Vinoria (Chiavari)
With all the fresh produce and seafood in Liguria, you might be wondering where Liguria’s fritti are – fortunately the region’s most iconic fried treat is a particularly delicious one even in a country full of famous fritti. Panisse are little fritters made from chickpea flour that has been cooked into a polenta-like mixture until smooth, spread into a thin layer, cut into dice-sized cubes or thick matchsticks, and fried until deeply golden.
They should be so crispy on the outside that they almost shatter in your mouth like a flaky croissant, and luxuriously smooth on the inside. Panisse are perfect with a glass of sparkling wine or a dark, almost-red rosato – you’ll be well set up for this at Vinoria, a wine bar tucked under the vaulted arcade of one of Chiavari’s medieval street corners.
Camogliesi Cookies: Revello (Camogli)
It’s a good rule of thumb when traveling to try whatever culinary specialty is named after the place. In Camogli, the camogliesi cookies are no exception. Even though they have only been around since 1970 when the owner of the now-famous Revello bakery invented them, camogliesi are by far the reigning sweet of the town. Made primarily from almond-paste, camogliesi are soft and dense and come in different varieties (camogliesi al rhum are the most celebrated locally, but there are also caffe, amaretto, almond, hazelnut, and orange zest versions).
Revello’s reputation is well established beyond Liguria and indeed worldwide, so you’ll want to get more than just the camogliesi there – try the “anchovy” shortbread cookies (don’t worry, they’re only named that way for the shape), the sweet pastries for breakfast, and the various torte salate and focaccie that are slung out of the oven all day long.
DISCOVER: Perfect Italian Riviera towns – the Cinque Terre and beyond.
Lydia O’Brien is cookbook editor, writer, and recipe tester based in Italy. She has lived in Rome, Florence, and Siena and spent a summer cooking at an agriturismo in Tuscany, after leaving the full-time publishing world in New York. Originally from Washington, D.C., she has a degree in English literature and spent a university semester in Rome studying food and art history.
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