Focaccia di Recco & Farinata at Local Bakeries
Liguria invented two of Italy's most underrated street foods, and Alassio's bakeries do both brilliantly: focaccia col formaggio (the oozing cheese-stuffed flatbread from Recco) and farinata (a crispy chickpea-flour pancake baked in a wood-fired copper pan). Neither costs more than a few euros and both are best eaten hot, standing at the counter.
Focaccia col Formaggio
Despite the name, focaccia col formaggio has nothing to do with the thick bread-like focaccia of Genoa. It is two tissue-thin sheets of unleavened dough sandwiching a layer of fresh crescenza cheese, then baked at ferocious heat until the top blisters and browns. The result is simultaneously crispy, molten and slightly tangy.
In Alassio, several focaccerie along the Budello make it fresh throughout the morning. Panificio Rolando on Via Cavour is a reliable local favourite — look for the queue of locals as a quality indicator. A 100 g portion costs around €2.50.
Farinata — The Chickpea Pancake
Farinata (called cecina in Tuscany) is made from chickpea flour, water, olive oil and salt, poured into a wide copper pan and slid into a scorching wood-fired oven for about 10 minutes. The result has crispy edges, a slightly custardy centre and a nutty, savoury depth that is entirely its own thing.
It is typically sold in wedges from the pan, sprinkled with black pepper and eaten immediately. Some bakeries add rosemary or thin-sliced onion on top. It is gluten-free by nature, which is a bonus, but the reason to eat it is simply that it tastes extraordinary.
When and Where to Eat
Both focaccia col formaggio and farinata are morning foods in Liguria — most bakeries sell them from around 8 am until they run out, which can be as early as 11 am on busy summer days. A second bake sometimes happens around 5 pm.
Beyond the Budello, the covered market area near Via XX Settembre has a couple of smaller bakery stalls worth checking. For a sit-down meal built around Ligurian classics — trofie al pesto, stuffed vegetables, fish — try Ristorante Palma on Via Cavour, which has been feeding locals since 1919.
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