La Pigna in Sanremo, Italy, is a photographer’s dream. Italian for “the pine,” this section of Sanremo is part of the old town and filled with local charm. It was the destination for our ACLE group dinner on Tuesday and as we climbed the steep streets to a tiny piazza we quickly realized we were in for an authentic dining experience. Carmen, the owner of Ristorante Ubricia Vivas and close friend of the ACLE staff, wasted no time welcoming our group with plates of focaccia and pitchers of wine.
Three local women, grandma, daughter and granddaughter sat aside our tables on the steps curiously listening to our foreign accents. The local children zipped in and out of the piazza on their bicycles, making sure to stop by to stay hi to Carmen and give her 20 cents for an ice cream from the freezer. A clever cat sat beneath our tables, waiting patiently for scraps.
As the Sanremo sun sank behind the square we reveled in the spirit and beauty of what I am certain will be just one of many beautiful nights to come.