Ventimiglia
I woke early on Friday….
(I hate how french people make out and hang on each other in public, sorry… interjection of the lonely)
and made my way to the Gare SNCF, not knowing the train schedule.. just following my gut that the sun was shining bright and happy to have worn jeans since there was a strong and cool breeze blowing that I rightly assumed would be cooler a bit east and north of me in Nice. I got a ticket and made the next train just in time to be on my way. I knew absolutely nothing about Ventigmilia other that there was a market there on Fridays… the scenery along the way was just beautiful. all coastal and a great view of the villas and what I’d consider to be mansions along the way that are not visible from the main road to Monaco or Menton as the train runs closer to the shore line. Simply breathtaking… I arrived in Italy a mere 45 minutes later (maybe a bit less) and made my way from the train station to the food market where my eyes were dazzled and my mouth watered at the possibilities.
Artichokes, different from the ones I buy in Nice… in that the leaves looked more menacing; oranges, dripping with sweetness; tomatoes red and burstingly fresh; peppers, round and deep shades of red, yellow and green; aubergines so deeply purple and firm; asparagus, thin and green with hints of purple standing next to it’s all white (but more woody) variety; green beans so crisp and begging to be snapped; fresh bunches of basil and fennel; zucchini with the flowers still attached, daring me to fill them with herbed ricotta cheese; prosciutto, sausages, coppa and tear drops of provolone dipped in wax hung side by side and just beneath them, the giant wedges of parm, rounds of goat cheese an squares of soft tallegio… UGH. It took every ounce of self-control I had to not buy a leg of prosciutto to smuggle back to the states with me, and even more control to not buy out the market place, knowing that I would never be able to prepare and eat it’s bounty prior to me departing…. I passed by fresh fish, sardines, sole, octopus, crabs, clams, mussels and so much more… all amazingly fresh and more importantly, locally grown, produced, harvested and fished.
Sitting seaside, a mere block away was the “grand bazaar” of Ventimiglia…. blocks and blocks of vendors selling everything from antiques and leather goods to cooking wares and faux bijoux…. row after row, stall after stall.. just packed with people all looking for a bargain.
Crowds of that size… like the street festivals of chicago … if alone, annoy me, if with others… can be fun. Every bump and bustle I felt..I grew more annoyed…so I made my way to a café for a bite to nibble.
I settled on a place called Cafe Brigantino on the beach … What should have been a LOVELY lunch was utterly ruined by the waiters literally… RUNNING past me and serving me plate on top of plate. Each time someone ran past me with food in hand the floor shook and I thought I was going to be knocked over in my seat as the only table for one (often the worst table in the house, I have found) was on the aisle at the entry to the dining room. I tried to savor my lovely chocolate dusted capp and plate of cured meat and prosciutto while sipping on my glass of proseco. I felt so rushed and was a bundle of nerves I declined anything else and just wanted to get out of there….
I made my way back to the market… and browsed the stalls, looking carefully at some particular leather goods… and keeping an eye out for knockoffs. the Gucci knockoffs and the Louis Vuitton being the worst I saw. I mean really…. do you thing a 6 9 is going to pass for Gucci or LX over each other is going to pass for Louis???
The afternoon grew late and not only my patience, but my tolerance was wearing thin so i decided to head back to Nice…. thus ending a lovely day in Italy and completing seven countries, ten cities and ten weeks. (really, all i had to do was get off the train and get back on to make it count…LOL)
Now I just have to figure out how to pack the three things I did buy in Italy… And hope they don’t add more than a kilo to my suitcase… they are, truly FABULOUS.
