Not Only Cinqueterre
Have you ever heard of the fabulous Portofino, of Cinque Terre, Sanremo and the splendid port-town of Genoa? The region Liguria includes all of these attractive locations, a small slender stripe of land at the top of Italy’s boot, curving north-westwards around the Mediterranean Sea, stretching from Tuscany to the French border. This area is often known as the Italian Riviera and its seaside resorts and elegant promenades have attracted sun-hungry northern Europeans for more than a century. The generally rocky coastline rises up to inland mountains which are increasingly steep and high towards the north-west where the Maritime Alps (reaching up to over 2,600m in height) meet the sea. This geography has created a famously mild climate benefiting both tourism and the region’s renowned gardens.
The only major city in Liguria, located right in the middle of its coastline, is the historic port of Genoa, once one of the Mediterranean’s great powers. The coast to the west of Genoa, dotted with resorts like Sanremo, is known as the Riviera dei Fiori. In the other direction, heading southwards to Tuscany, the coast is called the Riviera delle Palme, throughout the area around Portofino, and encompasses the Cliffside villages of the Cinque Terre.
Ligurian food is filling and delicious. The flower-growing region is also famous for its edible produce: olives, peaches, asparagus, artichokes and tomatoes; speciality dishes include pesto – with pasta or even on pizza – and products based on potatoes and chickpeas. Specially recommended is Farinata, a tasty snack which is made from chickpeas and which is delicious eaten hot in a takeaway.
Different types of holiday can be enjoyed in Liguria. As a city destination, Genoa has a lot to offer: historic monuments and fascinating museums. On the Riviera delle Palme and Riviera dei Fiori, closest to France, Sanremo and Bordighera can be combined well with trips into France and Monaco; there are excellent train and bus connections linking the French Riviera with the Italian Riviera. And all along the Ligurian coast, trips inland will take you to hillside villages, wooded mountains and even winter skiing destinations.
South of busy Genoa, the coast winds through some of Italy’s prettiest scenery. Portofino, a tiny harbour town famed for its elegance, sits at the tip of a large promontory; just to the south, Santa Margherita Ligure is a larger, stately resort where palms wave along the esplanade. The coastal route south touches other popular resorts – Rapallo, Sestri Levante – before reaching the famed mountainous coastline of the Cinque Terre. These are five picturesque fishing villages set along the beautiful steep coastline, with plenty of good walks which attract crowds of energetic tourists. The region ends at Portovenere, in the province of La Spezia. It comprises the three villages of Fezzano, Le Grazie and Portovenere itself, and the three islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto. In 1997 Portovenere and the villages of Cinque Terre were designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
