The anchovy played a historic role in the history of the ancient salt trails of Liguria and Piedmont.
The ancient salt trading routes
Piedmont and Liguria are two neighboring northern Italian regions, one with Milan as its capital and the other with Genoa as its main city. In the Middle Ages the salt routes between these two regions were lands of passage for shepherds, pilgrims, mule-traders, traders and travellers who, from western Liguria and nearby Provence in France, reached Piedmont via the Alpine passes, giving rise to dense networks of trade.
Itineraries and trails waiting to be discovered
The territory between the Italian Alps and the Ligurian Sea is dotted with concrete evidence of these constant passages that can be visited today on itineraries that include churches, monuments, castles, places of rest and prayer along the walking trails. Since Roman times salt had been one of the main ways of preserving food. In fact the word “salary” derives from the pay of Roman soldiers, and it was a precious commodity. It is believed that the trade in salted anchovies was used to disguise the transport of salt, thus avoiding the hated tax but then authorities levied a compulsory salt tax making anchovies an even expensive raw material.
The ancient salt routes are outdoor tourism attractions
Today, those salt routes have lost their commercial connotation, assuming an important role for outdoor tourism, but there are many traditions still linked to these ancient routes. Among them, the Way of Worship of Saint Limbania, for example, follows the route of the muleteers who transported goods from the Genoese ports to Piedmont via the Via dei Giovi trail.
Tours and workshops on the history of salt
On this path of worship the first of the churches is in Voltri which is 17 kilometres from the city of Genoa. From there, the ancient salt road connects this part of Liguria with Piedmont, winding its way to another small church in Rocca Grimalda in the province of Alessandria in Piedmont. Every year this route is walked by courageous volunteers, who in three days faithfully retrace the road that once laboriously saw the transit of salt and other goods. Tours and workshops dedicated to the history of salt and these ancient trading routes between Liguria and Piedmont are organized by the Consorzio Sistema Monferrato and the ViA(E) per Viaggiare network. For information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
