#2920 welcome lunch on Montallegro

 Ready to go to Rapallo with me? Let's head up to Montallegro for lunch.

On our first full day in Rapallo, the art group took a walk through the town to the funivie station. It's a cable car that takes you to the top of Montallegro. The day was overcast and a little drizzly. The view from the funivie was beautiful. I love the Liguria region for its mountains that seem to come right up out of the sea.

view of Rapallo from the funivie

At the top, there was a little confusion because some construction work was being done, so the way Suzy and Jeanette from The Blue Walk usually take their clients was blocked. We walked up a paved road to another access point. There was a glass elevator that did not look operational, and a steep muddy path with a chain across it. We ended up walking back to the funivie station and cutting through the construction area. It wasn't a problem. We then walked up pretty path to the bottom of a big staircase. At the top of the stairs was the Sancutary of Our Lady of Montallegro church. She is lovely.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montallegro

Ussie from the piazza in front of the church with Rapallo below
photo by Lizzie

We did not enter the church. There seemed to be some type of service going on inside, so we stayed out. After we all took photos and caught our breath, we had a short walk through an old oak forest to reach the restaurant.

mossy!

Lizzie and the funky, mossy oaks

The welcome lunch was held at Casa del Pellegrino restaurant. Since the day had been drizzly and overcast, a large table was set up for us inside. It was nice enough, but very close quarters. Fortunately the sun peeked out from the clouds and soon, tables were rearranged outside to accommodate our group. It was so much nicer! It is always more fun to eat outside, I think. 

We all settled at some tables, and the food started coming out. There were five people at our table: Lizzie and I, Scott and Laurel, and Jeannette. We sipped wine and had a nice conversation until the food came out, after which there was reverent silence, clinking silverware, and groans of delight over the meal.

tomatoes with fresh mozzarella; anchovies

a classic tray of cured meats

these might be sardines in lemon juice and olive oil

pansotti in walnut cream sauce; pasta with pesto

I confess that I didn't have any tomato with mozzarella or anchovies. I did try to sardines, and they were good. There was also some pickled veggies and something else that I didn't take a pic of or partake in. I did get after the meat tray, and the pasta was excellent. Liguria is known for pesto and focaccia, so if you are in the region, be sure to try those specialties. The pansotti in walnut cream sauce was so, so good. Pansotti is similar to ravioli in that it is a stuffed pasta pocket. Instead of being filled with meat, pansotti is lightly filled with cheese and greens. I think ours had spinach. This dish is also typical of Liguria. 

A plate of desserts was brought out, but I didn't take a photo because by that time, we were painting. YES! A bit of plein air painting time in Italy. How marvelous! Here is a pic of the group:

There was plenty to be inspired by.

 

Here is what I came up with:

After a wonderful afternoon, it was time to head back down the mountain to the town. Lizzie and I stopped for some gelato:

salted caramel gelato

We went back to the hotel to drop off our art supplies and chill for a bit before we took a walk along the lungomare to admire the full moon.

full moon over Rapallo

The evening ended with a nice aperitivo at Il Papi Neri. I had a Limoncello spritz; Lizzie had an old fashioned, and the tray of meats and breads came with the drinks. The total cost was 16 euros (8 euros per drink.)

aperitivo time!

What a great first day!