I know what you mean about the scents of a place. My favorite spot is not in my native province but in coastal British Columbia, where the mountains come down to the sea, and also on some of the Gulf islands off the coast of British Columbia. If you take a boat ride up the coast of British Columbia, you can see small towns that are only accessible by sea and wilderness areas, fiords where the eagles fly in large numbers. it's difficult to describe the sights and sounds of the mountains and forests, the waves crashing against the rocks and the calls of the sea birds. But the easiest way to recall it is by the unique scent of the plants that grow there. And I've learned that each part of the world smells differently. Since Liguria is much further south than British Columbia, the scents are probably stronger and more varied there. But so far I've never set foot in Italy.
It's interesting that you mention the Liguria of your youth being preserved mostly in the national park system. When I think of places on the islands off the coast of British Columbia where I used to roam in the seventies, isolated coves where I camped for free, I know that if I went back and tried to find those spots, I'd find condominiums and marinas instead of wilderness, except for those areas that are parkland. And many of the biggest trees along the coast of British Columbia have been cut down by the logging companies with the use of helicopters, unless they're in a national park area. And it's been necessary to put more and more restrictions on fishing, in order to protect what's left. People have been far too successful at dominating the world's landscape, and it can't end well, I think.
Ed. How completely bizarre to be computer edited for calling fichi d'India the *****ly pear. What is the "clean" translation then? LOL!!!!!!!
I've heard that British Columbia is very beautiful. Going there is definitely on my 'bucket list'. So far, the furthest north I've been up the west coast of North America is northern California. One of my favorite things to do is to drive along Highway 1 in California. I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, for most of its length, the waters off the coast are not optimal for swimming, not for me anyway!
True story...the first time my parents went to California, we did a tour with them of San Francisco, Carmel, Monterrey, the Napa and Sonoma valleys etc. The topography, the flora, the smells, were all very familiar...in Sonoma, my Dad even filled his hat with figs straight from the tree! (The owner was happy to have him do it...they all ripen at once...although why she didn't make fig compote or jam or pastries is beyond me.)
In one restaurant, a poor waiter began to explain to us how to eat artichokes...to be told by my father that he had been eating artichokes since before the young man was a twinkle in his father's eye! My parents were in their element. My sainted mother more than once asked my father why on earth, if America indeed contained such a place, he had taken her to live in the cold of the northeast. When she saw the boulevard along the sea in Santa Barbara, she started to cry. It is a dead ringer for the Lungomare along the Mediterranean in La Spezia.
Palm trees are not indigenous to the Riviera btw...however, in this protected mircroclimate (it has a "Mediterranean" climate not consistent with its latitude), they thrive. And I think warmth releases scent...it's how perfume works, I think. The scent is released by the heat of the body.
I agree about the sense of smell...it can connect to one's memories and emotions in a way that sight cannot, at least for me.
When I was very young indeed, I saw the Costa Gavras film "Z" in a film class. A woman (the great Irene Papas), whose man had been killed, stands in their closet, picks up and smells his clothes, and shatters...it was devastating to watch...
As to condominium blight, thank God we haven't experienced it. Zoning laws along the coast are draconian and, as I said, much of the land is protected as parkland. In Italy as a whole, a very large percentage of our land has been designated as parklands, and the percentage is much higher in Liguria, alta Toscana, Emilia, and the Ligurian Alps, the Apennines and the Apuan Alps that surround the Magra Valley. However, Liguria is home to two major commercial and naval ports, Genova and LaSpezia, and we have quite a large commerical flower industry (for perfume). The Liguri have often turned to the sea...it is an inhospitable land in many ways, and needs must...one can't eat beauty. In addition, Liguria is being spoiled by...well, I won't ruin my reverie by veering into politics.
It is true, as you say of British Columbia, that restrictions have been put on fishing etc. The 'dateri' a special type of mollusk that used to be found in the Bay of La Spezia, is long gone. But then, our Ligurian sea, because of the currents, has never been abundant with fish...we make do with the bonier, smaller fish. It's not like the Bay of Naples, another wonder of nature where the mountains meet the sea, in that regard.
In fact, there's a rude comment about Genova, which can be generalized to all of Liguria, I suppose, to the effect that: "Genova, monti
senza legna, mare senza pesci, uomini senza fede, donne senza vergogna." Genova, mountains without wood, a sea without fish, men without loyalty, women without shame. It was written by a disgruntled sea captain from Genova who felt he had been maltreated by the powers that be in La Superba, and who was also apparently made a cornuto (a cuckold) by his wife! Poor man, he obviously couldn't catch a break, as they say.
Of course, this is a calumny which I disdain to address, just as I disdain to address the stereotypes held by other Italians as to the "closedness" or reserve(?), excessive pride, haughtiness, grumpiness, and gruffness, in addition to the notorious stinginess or tight-fistedness of the Liguri!
Sometimes it seems as if they think they're not sufficiently "Italian"! They just don't understand them. The Liguri are like the ficchi d'India, the *****ly pear...spiny on the outside, but very sweet within.
HA! No wonder I like the French, Aberdeen,...they speak to the Ligurian part of me!