November, 2024
Our day trip from Genoa along the Riviera di Ponente (the Western Riviera) started in Noli, a onetime independent republic that is now a lovely seaside town that manages to escape the touristy crush. It’s off-season on the coast so the villages were pretty quiet on a weekday, some so quiet that most cafés, restaurants and shops were closed.
The first hint of Noli's medieval roots is its 11th-century fortress, perched on top of Mount Ursino. This was an important defence against invaders and pirates who made the Ligurian Coast a regular pit stop.
Snaking our way up the footpath past olive trees, churches and houses, I spied some ripe figs! Don’t worry, I was safe and scored two beauties!
These curving, cobbled streets seem to stretch to magical places beckoning us. Thankfully these old buildings have these struts to keep them from falling in on each other.
Noli, from the Castello at the top of the hill. For a small place, it had 72 towers in its heyday and there are a few that remain. It must have been amazing to see 72 towers crammed into this town!
Not only was Noli well-positioned to defend itself against invaders, it was also run by very strategically-minded people. It was a wealthy finance hub and in 1192 the commune had the foresight to buy its freedom and independence from the Marquis Enrico II del Carretto who sold his family's rights over Noli's market, tolls and forage tax for a mere 1,720 Genoese lira. Although relatively tiny, Noli managed to maintain its independence for centuries and even had its own fleet and currency. They deftly aligned themselves with their mightier cousin Genoa which proved to be quite a symbiotic relationship. An ally and port access in exchange for protection and preserving autonomy. An Italian version of NATO long ago.
The empty beach in Finale Ligure where we stopped for lunch at the only open restaurant we could find. Lucky for us the food was fabulous!