On my recent family vacation to France we made a day trip to the Italian coastal city of San Remo to immerse ourselves in some Italian culture!

It is only a thirty-minute drive from their home but a totally different experience. We wanted to spend the day walking around the adorable square & side streets, having lunch and of course sit in a café in the afternoon and have an expresso with some pastries while we people watch.

Traveling during the holiday season afforded us the opportunity to see San Remo all lit up and very festive. My family picked one of their favorite restaurants in San Remo, Mare Blu, as it is family owned and operated with consistent food.

We started with a fresh artichoke salad and the Parma ham. For my main course I had the fresh house made pasta with mushrooms. A vegetarian dish but so tasty with the different types of local mushrooms. We also had the grilled fish and the pasta with homemade Bolognese sauce. For dessert we had the house made plum tart and the tiramisu which was light.

To top our meal, we had macchiatos which are espressos with a bit of milk and foam. The whole meal was memorable because the food was so fresh and the service fantastic! We were made to feel very welcome and we enjoyed our lunch just relaxing and taking in the ambience of Mare Blu!