Liguria
- There is more to Ligura, than just beaches. The coast is dotted
with medieval towns. The mountainous hinterland hides hilltop villages,
and holds plenty of scope for walkers. Genoa is the region capital.
Genoa is a chaotic port town and the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.
In 2004 the city stepped back into the limelight as a European City
of Culture. Genoa stretches along the coast for 30km. West towards
the port and stretching around the waterfront towards Stazione Principe
you’ll find the oldest Genovese quarters. Piazza De Ferrari
with its elegant cast of the Art Nouveau Palazzo della Borsa, Palazzo
Ducale and Museo dell’Accademia is the place to start. Southeast
from the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo brings you to Porta Soprana.
Medieval Genoa is famous for its historic maze of caruggi –
twisting lanes and dank blind alleys that spill in a bewildering
spaghetti formation across the oldest part of Genoa. Porto Antico
is Genova’s ancient Greek port. The high country leaning protectively
over the city bears a 13km-long scar of city walls. Genoa is one
of four historical maritime cities that race each other in the Palio
delle Quattro Antiche Repubbliche Marinare in June.
The Riviera di Levante is the coast east of Genoa. Despite their
evident popularity it ensures pretty walking and dramatic scenery.
The green lands around Portofino, Italy’s wealthiest promontory
38km east of Genoa, are protected by the Parco Naturale Regionale
di Portofino. Wandering Camogli’s alleys and cobbled streets,
25km east of Genoa, it is hard not to be taken aback by the painstaking
trompe l’oeil decoration. From hear, boats nip across to Punta
Chiappi, a rocky crop on the Portofino promontory. San Fruttuoso
is dominated by the Benedictine abbey Abbazia di San Fruttuoso di
Capodimonte. San Fruttuoso is only accessibile on foot from Camogli
or Portofino. Portofino is Liguria’s most chichi spot. The
huddle of pastel-coloured houses around the portside square is a
delight. Heading north along the coastal road is the Abbazia della
Cervara, which is surrounded by monumental gardens. Santa Margherita
is known for its orange blossoms and lace. In a sheltered bay on
the eastern side of Portofino promontory on the Golfo di Tigullio,
its waterfront is a jumble of one-time fishing cottages, elegant
hotels with Liberty facades and moored million-dollar yachts. Sailing,
waterskiing, scuba diving and walking opportunities abound. Rapallo,
overlooking the Gulf of Tigullio, has an air of bustle independent
of tourists that towns further down the promontory lack. Bright
blue changing cabins line its sandy beach and lend the palm-tree-studded
waterfront an old-fashioned air. The stretch of coast between the
Portofino promontory and the Cinque Terre has some of the Riviera
di Levante’s best beaches, although the rash of resorts –
Chiavari, Lavagna, Sestri Levante, Deiva Marina and Levanto. Chiavari,
with an arcaded old town is the main access point inland.
The Cinque Terre is some of Italy’s most extraordinary countryside
and it is a Unesco World Heritage site and on the World Monument
Fund list. The Cinque Terre’s saving grace is its lack of
motorised traffic. Monterosso al Mare with huge statues embedded
into the rocks overlook one of the few Cinque Terre beaches. Vernazza
is possibly the most fetching village and it makes the most of the
sea with a piazza on the water and the remains of an 11th century
castle. Corniglia is a postcard of four-storey houses, narrow lanes
and stairways woven into a hill by La Torre, a medieval lookout.
Belvedere Santa Maria is another lookout with a coastal panorama.
More grapes are grown around Manarola than any other Cinque Terre
village. Riomaggiore is the main village in the Cinque Terre. There
is the Via dell’Amore a well-paved coastal path linking Manarola
with Riomaggiore (1km). The Via dell’Amore is part of the
12km-long sentiero azzurro that runs the length of the coast between
Monterosso and Riomaggiore.
La Spezia is a large naval base and a provincial capital. The city
centre is sandwiched between the naval base and the commercial port.
Porto Venere is 12km south of La Spezia. At the end of the quay
a Cinque Terre panorama unfolds from the rocky terraces of Grotta
Arpaia. Justo off the promontory lie the tiny islands of Palmaria,
Tino and Tinetto.
At the southeastern end of the Riviera di Levante, Lerici is an
exclusive summer refuge for wealthy Italians. From Lerici a scenic
3km coastal stroll leads north to San Terenzo, a seaside village
with a sandy beach and Genoese castle. Another coastal stroll, 4km
south, takes you past magnificent little bays to Tellaro, a fishing
hamlet.
Val di Magra forms the easternmost tongue of Ligurian territory.
Nature walks abound in this region, much of which is protected by
the Parco di Montemarcello-Magra which has an information centre
in Sarzana.
Stretching southwest from Genoa to France, the Riviera di Ponente
is more developed than the eastern side. Savona’s medieval
centre is dominated by the baroque Cattedrale di Nostra Signora
Assunta. With a good beach and affordable accomodation, Finale Ligure
is a handy base for exploring the Riviera di Ponente. Finale Marina,
on the waterfront, is where most hotels and restaurants languish.
In addition to 3km of white beaches pretty Alassio boasts its own
variety of baci, sugary concoctions comprising two biscuits whirls
sandwiched together with chocolate cream. Imperia is the main city
of Liguria’s westernmost province, commonly known as the Riviera
dei Fiori. San Remo gained prominence as a resort for Europe’s
social elite, in the mid to late 19th century. Today, although a
few hotels thrive as luxury resorts, many from that period are long
past their prime and are cut off from the beach by the railway line.
In September is held the Rallye San Remo. A few kilometres west
of San Remo is built up Bordighera. Bordighera’s fame rests
on a centuries-old monopoly of the Holy Week palm business. The
Vatican selects its branches exclusively from the palms along the
promenade, Lungomare Argentina. Ventimiglia’s Roman ruins
include an amphitheatre. Its medieval town squats on a hill on the
western bank of the River Roia.
