Il Poggio

Lovely old countryhouse, completely renovated, with a character. Perfect for 4 to 6 persons, max. 7. Garden with outdoor facilities, equipped kitchen, ( fridge/freezer, 4 gas burners, microwave on request) dining, living, 3 double bedrooms, 1 single bedroom, 2 bathrooms. Washing machineHeating.
Private parking in the garden.
Traditionally my grand-grand-parent’s house, this house was home to my uncle, the well-known painter Alberto Helios Gagliardo, who used to spend here the summertime, painting his landscapes of the Ligurian hills.
So, a nice athmosphere is still perceptible, and all the art-lovers will appreciate the sweet old pieces of furniture, decorated by Gagliardo, as well as the doors,, and some memorabilia of his life and work.

THE AREA

Cornia di Mocònesi is a tiny village, a hilly green area , inland of Chiavari , in the Ligurian Riviera di Levante.
You will certainly enjoy its quiet athmosphere; you can be there and rest, read, walk, hike…or you can drive to the coast, ( 20 km) where the rich and famous stay in Portofino ( a wondeful seaside resort, only too well known in the world), and everybody visits Cinque Terre: it is a nice one-day trip you can have while staying in Cornia ( you drive to Chiavari, park at La Colmata, a free large parking lot by the sea, then walk to the station- 3 minutes- and catch the first local train to Cinque Terre; I strongly adivse not to go by car to Cinque Terre ,nor to Portofino:too difficult and expensive to park!
If you like art and history, go to Genoa- a day-trip to its Porto Antico ( the medieval port, renovated some years ago by Renzo Piano), its baroque Strada Nuova, its museums and Aquarium ( both adults and young people/children will love it)

THE FOOD

Italian food varies a lot from region to region. In Liguria, you will have fish, but mainly vegetables. The national thing here is “pesto”, the famous basilic-and-garlic sauce for pasta. Many other unusual specilties are worth a try: “Farinata”, a chispeak pie of Mediterranean origine, “Focaccia di Recco” , a delicious extra-thin pie stuffed with fresh cheese…and so on.
In the valley ( Fontanabuona) where Cornia is set, many small unassuming trattorias offer this home cooking at very reasonable prices.
If in Genoa, don’t overlook the old places in the medieval arcades in front of the Porto. There you can savour the most genuine traditional street food, like fried cod and farinata.