Recco Part Two: Basking Amidst Beauty

As I mentioned in my blog post last Tuesday I was fortunate enough to get to spend several days on the beaches of Recco this summer. After an initial day that was filled with rain and produced some quite dramatic photographs, I went to bed hoping for sunshine and an authentic taste of Italian beach culture in the morning.

When I awoke the next day my prayers had been answered. The sun shone brightly, people wandered about wearing shorts and dresses in the streets below my hotel and there was not a cloud in the sky. After eating a very relaxing breakfast on my hotel’s terrace, I changed into my bikini and a sundress and set off for the closest beach, which was located only a few steps away from the Hotel Elena. Once again the hotel’s receptionist proved to be helpful and gave me the advice not to pay the twenty Euros that it costs to visit one of the tourist beaches but instead to bring a towel and set myself up beside them for free. She also offered me a massive beach umbrella, which she said that the hotel would normally charge for but that because I was staying multiple nights she would allow me to have at no cost.

When I arrived at the beach, the atmosphere was very laid back. It was still fairly early in the morning and there were only a few locals sprawled out on their towels, basking in the sun. I put my towel down on the rocks and lathered myself in sunscreen because I am insanely pale and always manage to get myself burnt if I spend more than several hours outside. Although the rain had stopped, the current was strong and the red caution flags that I had first noticed on the previous afternoon still warned potential swimmers that the water was far too dangerous to frolic in. I am a very strong swimmer and in my youth even competed at a high level so I decided to try and wade out to see what the water was really like for myself. Almost immediately I discovered that swimming was going to be impossible as the current pulled me out into the ocean and I struggled to make it back onto land. When the Italians say that the water is dangerous, they really aren’t exaggerating!

After my escape from the abnormally strong waters, I elected to follow the example set by the locals and attempted to cultivate one of those beautiful golden brown Italian tans that many of them sport. Almost as soon as I had assumed my relaxation position, a tall man was standing in front of me, blocking the sunlight. He had with him a massive collection of handbags and spoke with an accent. “Ciao bella, la borsa!” he exclaimed, which made me laugh because I couldn’t imagine who would want to buy a designer knock-off purse while attempting to sunbathe. The whole thing was a little bit strange but I never felt threatened and once it became clear that I wasn’t interested in anything that he was peddling, he moved along.

After lying out there for a few hours and eating several popsicles and a hotdog, I decided to go for a walk and explore the coast in the daylight. As I made my way up the hill towards the cliffs that I had seen on the previous night, I noticed something very funny and amazing. Nestled amongst the rocks was a small bar that was serving alcoholic beverages. It was a beautiful setting and I’m sure that it gets a lot of business, but I also couldn’t help but think about how extremely dangerous it was. Considering that there were no barriers and one could simply wander off the cliff and onto the jagged rocks below if they were not careful, I definitely don’t think that I would choose it as a drinking destination. Still, there were many locals out on the high rocks, with the waves crashing below them, baking in the sun and laughing with their friends.

After marvelling at the Italians and their easygoing attitude, I found my way onto a little rock beach where many people had congregated. This was definitely no tourist destination and the only language that I could hear around me was Italian. While most people applied sunscreen and worked on their tans, a few were sitting out on the large rocks, with their feet dangling in the water, I decided to join then. Almost immediately when I sat down, a friendly local struck up a conversation. She was retired and had chosen to live in Recco because it was lovely place that was close to her family in Milan. When I asked her about the weather and horrible water conditions, she replied that it was extremely abnormal not to be able to swim in the water and that usually many people swim far out onto rocks that are located off shore. It was a real shame and I absolutely longed to have an experience like that. Still, the crashing waves, that splashed cooling water onto my body every few minutes, were refreshing and I had a wonderful day.

Overall Recco is a brilliant place to have a vacation but just keep in mind that it can be a bit of a rip-off if you go to the more touristy places. My recommendation is to explore the area a little bit before picking your final sunbathing spot and to ask the locals about their favourite beaches if you are in doubt. Hopefully I will get to visit the area again in the near future, when the weather is a little bit better and I am able to swim in the water.

Recco Part One: The Storm Before The Calm

It’s a beautiful day today in Lodi and the warming sun gives me hope that soon summer will be here! The change in temperature as well as the impending start of this year’s Formula 1 season reminded me that it is already time to make plans for this summer and to purchase my Canadian Grand Prix tickets. Among the destinations that I want to see are Rome and Pisa, but there are also several Italian towns that are already familiar to me that I would like to return to even if it is only just for the day. At the top of my list is the Liguria town of Recco, which is located on Italy’s north-west coast, only a short distance away from Genova. This past summer I had the pleasure of spending several days in the little-known beach destination and discovered that it was the perfect place to relax and soak up the Italian sun.

It was mid-July and I had only a few days off of work and very little money to my name. Still, I craved to be by the water and began to research Italian beach destinations that were located within several hours of Lodi. When I stumbled upon Recco I knew instantly that it was the ideal weekend getaway for the North-Italian tourist on a budget. At only 2 hours away from Lodi, it was close and the cost of a train ticket was less that twenty Euros, an absolute bargain when you can imagine that tickets to Venice can cost over forty Euros!

Therefore on a Tuesday morning I set out for Recco in fine spirits with a bag containing several bikinis, a pair of jeans and loads of sunscreen. The trains in Liguria, as I soon discovered, were not at all like the trains in Milan. They operated on their own time schedule and when I had to change at Genova, my connecting train never turned up. Luckily for me a friendly local woman directed me to the appropriate platform and explained trains departed for Recco all of the time. It was quite chaotic, but it worked and in just over two hours I arrived at the Recco train station ready for my beach holiday to begin.

Unfortunately on that particular day clouds had engulfed the small town, which is known for its cheesy focaccia bread, and by the time that I arrived at my hotel I was soaked to the bone and a little bit fed up. After drying myself off and wallowing in self pity for several moments, I decided that it was time to make the most out of my short stay in Recco and explore the area, whatever the weather!

My hotel itself was exactly what I had hoped for and the view was spectacular. Overlooking one of Recco’s most famous beaches, the Hotel Elena* was practical, affordable and comfortable. The staff were also extremely friendly and as I left to explore the shoreline, which was located only meters away from the hotel, the receptionist told me that I was welcome to borrow her umbrella so that I would not get wet while walking around. This was one of several very thoughtful gestures that made my stay there pleasant despite the terrible weather on the first day.

The town of Recco is nestled at the foot of an absolutely gorgeous mountain which is lush, green and dotted with colourful houses. The shoreline was extremely breathtaking, with large rocks and high cliffs stretching out as far as the eye could see. On that initial afternoon, the horrible weather had the positive side effect of creating photo opportunities that were both dramatic and unique. The wind was very strong and the normally calm, turquoise waters turned into frothy waves which crashed violently as they hit land. The Hotel Elena was situated right at the top of one of the shoreline’s cliffs and the stone steps that were carved directly out of the rock and lead to the waters below inspired a childlike curiosity in me. As I explored different passages and dared myself to get ever closer to the raging ocean, I forgot that I felt like a drowned rat and began to enjoy myself.

In my travels, I noticed that all of the flags, which were positioned outside of the various lifeguard stations that I encountered, were red. When I asked the receptionist back at the hotel about them she informed me that this signalled that the water was far too dangerous to swim in. Apparently Recco was experiencing some of the worst weather that it had seen in years and several swimmers and surfers had already disappeared because they had ignored the warnings. The colour red told those who were foolish enough to enter the water that they did so at their own peril, no lifeguard would be able to swim against currents that strong and it would be almost impossible for helicopters and rescue boats to find bodies amongst the rocks and dark waves.

As I looked out upon the restless ocean from my hotel room, I hoped that the morning would bring blue skies and still waters. After all I didn’t come to Recco simply to take photographs, I came to Recco to swim, sunbathe and relax in general. I left the windows open that night and fell asleep to the sound of the cool breeze and the animated water below. Even at its worst, Recco was wonderful.

To be continued…

Be sure to check out my blog in the coming days for part two of my Recco experience!

*If you would like to know more about the Hotel Elena, you can visit their website at the following address: http://www.hotelelena.it/