A short walk in Genova ...

Really, it was just meant to be a very short walk through the city, with a stop for coffee at my favourite cafe, Caffè Degli Specchi - on Salita Pollaivoli 43/R, then back to work on the book ...

That was THE PLAN.

3 hours later, and I returned home, having met the most interesting Genovese along the way.  I'll write more on them in other posts but it was delightful.

I talked with the man who imports beautiful furniture from India, goods that have been made ethically, both in terms of labour and wood, and sells them here at his shop - Safarà.  You can visit his website here.

I chatted with a designer creating the most exquisite clothes.

I bought my pesto and gnocchi from the women who make the best in the world ... or so says I, this ignorant straniero.

Then down to Bio Soziglia, in Macelli di Sozigli,a for a bio lettuce and 2 tomatoes ... I also popped in at Le Gramole Olioteca while I was down there and bought the most exquisite mozzarella.  I asked for instruction on how to look after it, mostly because I felt slightly intimidated by the quality of it ...  Francesca was kind and explained.  And I was right ask, I didn't know that the cheese can taste better if served at room temperature, nor how long I could keep it for after opening it.

And on back up the hill, for my focaccia from the forno on via Ravecca.  The focaccia is good enough to walk a distance for.

A ciao to Lorenzo at cibi e libri and home ... to eat some of the food I had hunted-gathered. 

A good day, and now ... the book.

Cibi e Libri - a vegetarian cafe, Genoa

A vegetarian cafe, with a small library and a free-wifi spot, a place where friends meet to talk, eat and take vegetarian cooking classes – Cibi e libri fulfils a number of roles, more than you might imagine when you first pass by the small cafe on via Ravecca, 48R in Genova.

It’s more than a cafe, I noticed this thing about it in the hours I spent there – friends called by, strangers wanted to chat, and Lorenzo makes time for them all.

Lorenzo, the owner of Cibi e libri, took some time to explain how his cafe came into being ...

He started out as a philosophy student then worked as a journalist in television for fifteen years.  He didn’t enjoy the competitive state of mind that existed within that world and began cooking as a way to recover from a stress-filled day.  He also developed a curiousity about the inter-relationship of all things and this led into the art and history of food, including the positive aspects of vegetarianism.

Time passed and he decided, over a period of five years, to give birth to Cibi e libri ... his fourth child, the other three children being his actual flesh and blood.

I was invited to return for the weekly vegetarian course one evening and took photographs as Lorenzo went through the introduction, first the theory and then the cooking.  Students tasted all that was cooked but also made their own attempts, with plenty of space left for discussion and questions.

Cibi e libri also stands out as an ideal cafe for the traveller, offering a vegetarian menu, friendly English-speaking staff and free wifi.  Make sure you check it out if you find yourself in Genova, most especially if you’re vegetarian. Lorenzo is also able to recommend other Italian vegetarian cafes throughout Italy.

For more information you can phone: (+39) 010 24 67 050 email info@cibielibri.it

Lorenzo Fantini, Cibi e Libri, Genoa

There is something truly delicious about attending an evening vegetarian cooking class here in the old section of the city of Genova ...

It’s about listening to the Italian language flow around me, enjoying the fact that I was there as a photographer and simply allowed to observed ... only surprised into laughter when the teacher, Lorenzo Fantini, informed me that I would receive free food if I asked in Italian.

I knew nothing vegetarian in the language and had to whisper to a course member while Lorenzo’s back was turned however, Lorenzo has children and of course he overheard as I was told ‘riso’ for rice and then realised that ‘curry’ sounded fairly similar, if not the same.

I was given a plate of delicious tasting curry-flavoured rice, with zucchini and other things I didn’t recognise.

Being out in the world, a world where I don’t know the language, is always a challenge for me however it is one that I seem determined to seek out.  With this wandering comes so many highs and lows but Thursday evening was surely one of the highs.

Lorenzo began with an introduction to the vegetarian world and then started in on a simple but tasty tortilla chip recipe.  The class made their own batch after watching and tasting his work.

He followed this with a stirfry, inviting pupils to smell ingredients ... the ginger root, spices and soy then to see how he handled the vegetables.  A bottle of organic wine was opened and people sat down to eat and talk until Lorenzo set to work on another dish, using the wok once again to create a new dish using leftovers.

Much approval from everyone convinced me the night’s course had been a success and I slipped away, taking myself hot and sweaty self back to the apartment to recover.  They were 3 of the nicest hours I’ve spent here in Genova.

If curious about attending one of Lorenzo’s courses, you can contact him at Cibielibri – a Genova la gastronomia vegetariana at via Ravecca 48, telephone 010 246 7050 or email him at info@cibielibri.it