Il Martin: in Genoa, where Ligurian cuisine becomes contemporary

Making regional cuisine contemporary requires not only technical skill and knowledge of history, but also a fair dose of madness. The custodians of the (often fake) truth are ready to impale progressives, always citing Tradition. This happens more in those regions where there are no flagship restaurants that even if they focus on creativity, at least manage to move the system. Liguria is one of these, poor in starred places for a long time, and substantially little suited to changes, not only in terms of cuisine.

A shame considering the validity of the products (fish, oil, vegetables are the first that come to mind), the historicity of some recipes – focaccia and savory pies are there to confirm it – and the pleasant contrast between seafood and that of earth, which is the most interesting. This is why what a young chef – from Liguria doc, this is important – is doing does not go unnoticed Marco Visciola at Il Marin, a restaurant on the top floor of Eataly on the Porto Antico. Curiosity: the sign bears the name of the breeze that crosses the Maritime Alps and reaches the Langhe, the beloved land of the Farinetti family.

The 35-year-old Visciola, executive chef since 2015 after having made important experiences, has built his vision of cooking, linked to tradition, but with a new gear. “I’m from Bogliasco, I love this land and its products, and I’m lucky enough to work with a lot of instinct and intuition thanks to the experience that, from an early age, I was able to live following the teachings of my grandfather cook: he passed on a memory of the ingredients very important for my work ”explains Visciola, whose family continues to produce oil. The place is in tune with the idea: the light enters through the huge windows from which you can see the Porto Antico, the large ships and Renzo Piano’s bigo that seems close at hand. Beautiful tables, essential and refined mise en place, hospitable and precise service: you feel good, in short. But the absolute protagonist remains the cuisine: ‘very Ligurian’ but (finally) contemporary. TO starting with Cappon Magro 2.0 (the one in the photo above) which curiously owes its birth to South Korea.