Sagra del Fuoco

RECCO – GOLD MEDAL FOR CIVIL MERIT

A small town little more than 10,000 inhabitants, it is the main centre of Golfo Paradiso, an arc in the Ligurian coast that goes from Bogliasco to Portofino cape. It is situated in the valley of the torrent that bears the same name and it is surrounded by green hills covered with olive trees and chestnut woods. Connected to Genoa, only 20 km far, and to the main centres of the East Riviera, by the “Aurelia” (old Roman road) and by the railway and by bus service, Recco has a direct access to the motorway Genoa-Leghorn. Route 333 connects it to the towns of Avegno and Uscio and to the hinterland of Val Fontanabuona. Recco has also got a mooring site for the ferries to Camogli, San Fruttuoso and Portofino. The town has a strong trading character and is the centre of several services. It is known as “Gourmets' capital of Liguria” thanks to its cuisine and particularly for “focaccia col formaggio”. It has got beaches and cliffs and an olympic swimming pool by the sea, besides four hotels, so it is an ideal place for summer tourism, for a good meal and for weekend shopping.

THE HISTORY

Recco dates back from very old ages, as shown by pottery findings and coins. It was a Roman centre, a post stage on Aurelia road, named in the Tabula Peutingeriana. In the early Middle Ages it was a Parish given in administration to the bishops of Milan, as witnessed still nowadays by the survival of a sort of Lombardy-style carnival. It rebelled to the arrogance of the “advocati” that administrated it on behalf of the bishops of Milan, it passed under the rule of Genoa in the middle of the XII century. As other centres of the Riviera it remained faithful to the dominant city for five centuries. It was the seat of a Genoese “podestà” and captain (since 1606) that ruled also on the neighbouring centres. During the XVI century it was attacked several times by the Saracen pirates. The Republic of Genoa built there two castles for defence, now disappeared. Old Recco had several palaces inhabited by important Genoese families. Its shipyards are still famous; from there in the past centuries many huge ships were launched, which made Ligurian shippping famous all over the world, and the first steam ship of the Sardinian-Piedmontese navy. Old Recco, which was a typical Ligurian village, was completely destroyed by the 1943-1944 bombings. The rebuilt town is essentially modern. For the events in World War II its flag was decorated with a Gold Medal for Civil Merit by the President of the Republic.

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