A Culinary Tour of Genova, 1989
by Christian Ward
Stepping out of the car, wild pomegranates,
full as pepper grinders, greet me. Tonight,
Spaghetti Con Cozze. Tomorrow, I will help
Nonno carry steaming tin foil pans of
Focaccia Con Formaggio from the trattoria,
their strands of melted stracchino always
making spaghetti jealous. Another day,
I will go with Nonna to the market heaving
with shoppers browsing scepters of
artichokes, baubles of tomatoes, plump
aubergines, lemons, meats, seafood
and even clothes. No time to stop
and watch sea urchins hidden like naval
mines by the shore or visit ornate galleons
in the old docks when there’s tuna
and olive oil needing to be bought
from the co-op. Castelletto’s lavish
villas and churches will have to be put
on hold for another summer as Osso Bucco
is on the menu tonight, the Oxtail
almost as big as my hands. Nonno says
it’s okay to take a day trip to Portofino
tomorrow, so we’ll pile into the car
and walk around houses colourful
like the sorbet we’ll enjoy; Nonna’s
icy glare waiting when we return.
PHOTO: Mercato Orientale Market, Genoa, Italy. Photo by Yulia Grigoryeva, used by permission.
NOTE: Genoa (Genova) is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In the 2011 census, the Province of Genoa, which in 2015 became the Metropolitan City of Genoa, had 855,834 residents. Over 1.5 million people live in the wider metropolitan area stretching along the Italian Riviera. On the Gulf of Genoa in the Ligurian Sea, Genoa has historically been one of the most important ports on the Mediterranean: it is currently the busiest in Italy and in the Mediterranean Sea. The city’s rich cultural history in art, music and cuisine allowed it to become the 2004 European Capital of Culture. It is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.
PHOTO: Genoa, Liguria, Italy. Photo by Sergio Cerrato, used by permission.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christian Ward is a UK-based writer who can be currently found in Culture Matters and the League of Poets. At present, he is working on a memoir of his school days.
POETRY and PLACES 