My husband read an article in the New York Times about the abandoned village of Bussana Vecchia. It is currently occupied by international artists, galleries, restaurants and even a jazz club.
We managed to find a path leading up to the village and left our car by the road. If you’re coming from Bussana the road leads up to the top, but if you turn left before reaching the city (coming from San Remo) there is a short hiking trail leading up. It was just a few minutes until we reached to top, it wasn’t an issue carrying Pixie up.
Half of the village is still abandoned and many building and the church are in ruins, but it shouldn’t stop you from visiting. The artists created a special atmosphere here.
You can visit various art galleries, jewelry shops, there is even a small model train museum. The artists welcome you in their shop and happy to show you around.
We decided to try out the organic vegan restaurant, they grow the vegetables in their garden. Although some portions were surprisingly small, at the end we were satisfied. My favourite dish was the pasta with garlic and pesto, it was definitely different from a store bought pesto. Pixie tried the soup, couscous and pasta but she had most fun feeding us the olives.
The village was full with cats and Pixie wanted to stop and play with every one of them. But why should she prefer an art gallery to a cute furry animal?!