Cervo - Because Occasionally A Day Without Trials Is Good

Completely by chance we managed to select a destination today that was just about completely lacking in driving challenge. Thank goodness. I do like the fact that when we are traveling that you are forced to stay alert and think, and make decisions...all kinds of things that exercise your critical faculties that (in my opinion) start to get eroded with age. HOWEVER, there is too much of a good thing. And, as I will relate later when we sum up the learning we have done this trip, the driving challenges of this trip have exceeded what we are feeling comfortable with.

So we were very happy travelers when we discovered (at the end of our driving there) how relatively easy it was for us to get to Cervo at San Bartolomeo al Mare. There was a bit of confusion when we were researching going to Cervo if it was a separate town from San Bartolomeo or not (it is). Fortunately our GPS had Cervo in it and as I've noted the drive was about as easy as any we've done. For one thing the autostrada going from the French border east (at least as far as we have gone) is much straighter and less hilly than the autoroute going from the border west into France. I think this may be because the terrain drops sharply from the border down toward  Nice so you are descending a huge slope.  The autostrada itself is an amazing feat of engineering with a combination of huge viaducts over incredibly deep valleys and long straight tunnels accounting for the relatively straight easy drive. Even descending into San Bartolomeo al Mare/Cervo was much easier than other exits we've taken so far.

Cervo is another hill town though this time it is on the coast. It is of the same time period. I should have done some history reading but clearly the 16th through the 18th century was a good time for this region under the rule of Savoy and Monaco. As I've talked about these towns as living communities, I will refrain from repeating but I think when you look at the pictures you will see that is clearly the case.

Le Fotografie

We get ready to go watching the sunrise with morning coffee

Well according this map we are 'here'

Which is here

Which means to get here

We need to climb here

Our first stop is

Where we had a chance to enjoy a real Mediterranean moment

And sitting down and having a coffee while we take in the gorgeous view

If you don't like coffee, you can enjoy a self-made lemonade where they give you lemon juice, water, and sugar. You will note that glass in front of Wife is pure lemon juice! Took about 10 packs of sugar to make it palatable :(

The architecture around the Piazza was very interesting

Okay history buffs and loyal readers, remember what I told you about this area having its heyday in the 16th through 18th century? This church was build between 1688 and 1728. 

On the facade were two statues, one very much in the church style, but one looking like it was Greek classic from the Renaissance. Very interesting for a church.

Our usual mountain town tableau of narrow streets, vistas, and colors

A comment on marriage 

How I see myself

How Wife sees me

La Gastronomia!

Before we went on this trip I bought the Michelin Guide app for a crazy amount of money and up to now haven't found anything that was close to where we were.

Finally I found this place in Cervo where we had a really nice meal with house wines that were far above normal.

I don't have a picture of wife's veal escalope but she was very pleased with it (wouldn't upload for some reason)

I had the prix fixe menu with a first course of a local pasta called trouflie - sort of a short, twisted pasta with pesto.

The pesto was the lightest version of pesto I've ever had

Followed by a second course of a Brandade of Baccala, a very classic potato and salt cod combination. This one had a ring of anchovy paste and some excellent olive oil that were the flavoring components to the Brandade