LIGURIA
The province of Liguria home to the world famous Cinque Terre. Social media influencers fall head over heals for this place, and it's easy to see why!
Italian Riviera
Liguria is a coastal region and it offers some of the most beautiful beaches in Italy. It overlooks the Ligurian Sea where there are three gulfs: the Gulf of La Spezia, the one of Genova and the one of Tigullio.
Liguria is a crescent-shaped region in northwest Italy. Its Mediterranean coastline is known as the Italian Riviera.
The 5 colourful fishing villages of the Cinque Terre, as well as stylish Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure are on the eastern coast of Riviera di Levante.
The western coast, the Riviera di Ponente, is home to Sanremo, a vintage resort with a turn-of-the-century casino and a flower-filled promenade.
Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre literally translates to Five Lands: 5 villages, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso, 18 kilometres of rocky coastline the villages are in harmony with water and land.
A Protected Marine Area and a National Park “Cinque Terre” has been declared a World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 1997
Five villages facing the coast, having typical Ligurian style houses with the outsides painted in different pastel colours. Behind the houses the hills are cultivated with vineyards and olives, covered with paths which link the respective santuari (Sanctuaries) situated halfway up the hills. The villages are difficult to reach, except by train, because of the winding roads and the paths which links them is reserved for hill walkers.
Information on this page is sourced from cinqueterre.it
Riomaggiore
Riomaggiore is the first village of cinque terre one meets when travelling north from La Spezia.
The village, dating from the early thirteenth century, is known for its historic character and its wine, produced by the town's vineyards. Riomaggiore is in the Riviera di Levante region and has a shoreline on the Mediterranean's Gulf of Genoa, with a small beach and a wharf framed by tower houses. Riomaggiore's main street is Via Colombo, where numerous restaurants, bars, and shops can be found
Manarola
Founded during the XII century, the village probably derives its name from an antique “magna roea”, a large mill wheel present in the village. The first evidence of the village dating back to the year 1200, is relative to the events of the Fieschi, whilst in the XVI century there was news of their strenuous resistance against the pirate raids.
The most important monument of the hamlet is the church of San Lorenzo (St. Lawrence), which was built in 1338, work of the inhabitants of Manarola and Volastra, as testifies the stone on the façade of the church. The layout with three aisles, whilst the façade is embellished with a rosette of twelve columns. Also important is the bell tower, detached from the main body of the church, probably because originally it held a defensive role.
Corniglia
Corniglia, the only village of the Cinque Terre not in contact with the sea, rising on top of a rock promontory.
The most important monument of the village is the Church of San Pietro (St. Peter), of gothic-genovese style built around 1350 on the remains of the previous building. The façade of the church, embellished by a marble rosette is enriched by many decorations, amongst which a bas-relief which shows a deer, the emblem of the village.
Also interesting are l’oratorio dei Disciplinati (Oratory of the Disciplined), dating back to 1700 and from which one has a breathtaking view of the sea, largo Taragio, the small main square of Corniglia, real pulsating heart of the village.
Vernazza
Vernazza, considered by many to be the most charming of the Cinque Terre was documented for the first time in 1080.
The remarkable economic and social level reached by the village in Medieval times and still today testified by the town planning conformation and by the presence of architectural elements of great importance, like lodges, churches, case-torri (tower-houses) and arcades. The village is dominated by the remains of the “castrum” a series of Medieval forts dating back to the XI century, with a cylindrical castle and tower.
The built up area comprises separate houses in a single central street and perpendicularly steep flights of steps called “arpaie”. The most important historical moment is Santa Margherita di Antiochia (St. Margaret of Antioch), a Roman-Genovese style church, whose construction dates back to the XIII century in which are recognised a Medieval body and a Renaissance one.
Monterosso
Monterosso is the largest village of the Cinque Terre and also the first to be documented (1056).
Consisting of two districts, the old village and Fegina, the more touristy part, Monterosso also boast important moments. Amongst these the XIV century church of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist), in front of which rose the Medieval Palazzo del Podestà, of which some traces remain.
Of great importance, on the colle dei (hills of) Cappuccini, the castello dei Fieschi (the castle of Fieschi) and the monastero (monastry) whose church is San Francesco (St. Francis), contains works of art of unestimable value amongst which pictures attributed to Van Dick, Cambiaso, Piola and Guido Reni.
Portofino
Portofino is a fishing village on the Italian Riviera coastline, southeast of Genoa city. Pastel-colored houses, high-end boutiques and seafood restaurants fringe its Piazzetta, a small cobbled square overlooking the harbor, which is lined with super-yachts. This jewel of the Italian Riviera was the favorite of the rich and famous during its 1950s heyday.
Portofino is today one of the most popular seaside resorts along the Riviera and a worthwhile excursion.
Portofino can be reached by ferry from Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo, Camogli, Cinque Terre and Genoa. The closest train station is in Santa Margherita Ligure, where there's a bus connection to Portofino.
A path leads from the Piazzetta to Castello Brown, a 16th-century fortress and museum with art exhibitions and panoramic views of the town and the Ligurian Sea.
The streets are lined with Ferraris as Europe's elite call Portofino home, like a small Italian Monaco without the head ache.
Santa Margherita
located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) southeast of Genoa, in the area traditionally known as Tigullio. It has a port, used for both tourism and fishing activities. Part of comune territory is included in the Regional Natural Park of Portofino. Santa Margherita Ligure borders: Camogli, Portofino, Rapallo.
Main sights:
Castello di Santa Margherita Ligure, built by the Republic of Genoa in 1550 as defence against the increasing attacks of North African pirates. It was designed by the same architect of the Castle of Rapallo. After World War I it was restored and entitled to the Italian victims of that conflict.
Basilica of St. Margaret of Antiochia, built from 1658 on the remains of a 13th-century church.
Abbazia della Cervara, a historically relevant abbey on the road to Portofino.
San Remo
San Remo is a coastal city in north western Italy Liguria. Its green spaces include the park of Villa Ormond, with a Japanese garden, palm trees and ancient olive groves. The 12th-century San Siro Cathedral has 12 bells in its tower, plus a huge crucifix above its altar. In an elegant art nouveau building, the long-established Casinò di Sanremo includes a theater. Nearby, the Russian Church has 5 onion domes.
Sanremo was an important social centre around the end of the 19th century, and a popular resort until the middle of the 20th century, and many of the the grand houses and hotels that you can see in the town date from that period.
San Remo is one of the most western beach resorts in the country, not far from the border with France. It is correctly called Sanremo although often referred to as San Remo.
San Remo has a very mild - warm climate because the mountains protect the town from weather arriving from the north, which helps enhance its popularity.
Ventimiglia
Ventimiglia is a vibrant city with a clear commercial soul that makes it very popular, just a stone throw away from Menton popular town in France, which used to be part of Italy! Ventimiglia offers a varied gastronomy and here many restaurants stand out for being among the best in Liguria.
In Ventimiglia you will discover unexpected views that will leave you amazed: hidden corners of unspoiled nature, such as the famous Hanbury gardens. Relaxing beaches such as the Calandre or Balzi Rossi.
The Hanbury Gardens represent the most famous acclimatization garden of the Riviera and one of the most important in Europe.
Thanks to the favourable climatic and natural position of Punta Mortola, the surface of this extraordinary park of 18,000 hectares and its interior coexist with exotic plants from all over the world and examples of Mediterranean flora.