After mija finished her program, we headed North to Livorno, a port city that is a 2 1/2 hr train…read moreride fr Rome. I have two first cousins on my Dad's side living in Livorno, who have been living in Italy for 15 & 30 yrs, respectively. I only knew them via FB, and this would be my first time meeting them in person.
In addition, I saw a Stanley Tucci episode where he visited Livorno and ate cacciucco alla Livornese, a seafood stew that looked similar to cioppino. I wanted to try it and my rellies knew Le Volte offered the dish, as well as other seafood dishes.
Eleven of us indulged on polpo e patate, fried seafood, cacciucco and other dishes. We also enjoyed a local wine that I had tried earlier in the year by chance. I'm glad it was on the wine list.
All of the seafood was excellent, especially the cacciucco. For example, the polpo was super fresh & tender. Likewise, the fried seafood platters had super fresh calamari, shrimp, fish, et al, and the portions were massive.
The cacciucco contains five seafoods, and in this case it included the head of a local fish. The head had so much edible meat, and the sauce was thick, rich & spicy from being infused by all the ingredients. The sauce was not brothy like cioppino.
Regarding the ambiance, we ate on the outside patio, where we could see the sailboats across the street and watch the sunset. In Italy, everything is "piano piano" (slowly slowly), so relax, and don't be in a rush. Food came out slowly, but it was perfect bc we wanted to talk and get to know each other. I think dinner took 3 1/2 hrs.
Likewise, the service was very good and was on pace with the delivery of the food. We also found out my rellies know the sous chef, who is also Filipino. Apparently there are 1,000 Filipinos living in Livorno, amongst a population of 150,000.
All in all, a fantastic experience to meet my first cousins for the first time, and enjoy some excellent seafood at a restaurant with a view.
