The scenic village of Alassio on the Ligurian Riviera was once a magnet for Britons. They left when war broke out, and never came back. Mary Novakovich wonders why… (Photos by Adam Batterbee) Wintering on the Riviera… The phrase immediately conjures up images of well-to-do 19th-century British families promenading along seafronts on the northern Mediterranean […]
Situated in Italy’s northwest, Liguria is the third smallest Italian region, after Molise and Valle d’Aosta. It has borders France to the west, Piedmont to the north and Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany along its eastern edge. In the hinterland you’ll find the Ligurian Alps in the west and the Ligurian Apennines to the east. Liguria lies […]
Max and Barbara Fenton from Nottinghamshire own a two-bed house on the edge of a small village in the hills of western Liguria. They spend a month there in summer, and make several one- or two-week visits throughout the rest of the year. What drew them to Italy, and to Liguria in particular? “We’re both […]
With its dramatic geography, recent cultural renaissance and fascinating backstreets, Francesca Unsworth explains why it’s time to fall in love with this dynamic city Genova never quite seems to make it onto the traveller’s list of desirable places to visit in Italy. Tucked into the crease of Italy’s northwest coastline, the Ligurian capital struggles to […]
Italy’s Cinque Terre is the stuff of postcards, and its colourful coastal railway is as pretty as a picture. Tristan Rutherford takes a train journey of discovery along the Ligurian coast. Central Italy is snowbound, so it is a shock to see La Spezia Station in radiant green. Palm trees run alongside the tracks in […]
“Apricale is a fortified medieval village in the Valle Nervia a few miles inland from Ventimiglia on the Riviero dei Fiori in Western Liguria. We stayed in this beautiful13th century village that clings haphazardly to the hillside, with lovely restaurants, piazza, and fantastic old footpaths snaking through the terrace hillsides. Ideal to scoot around in […]
Like a rainbow of painted plaster, the village of Manarola hangs onto the cliffs above the swirling seas of the Gulf of La Spezia on the coast of Liguria – the home of fine wines and a one-time haunt of Byron’s. The Gulf of La Spezia is also known as the Poet’s Gulf – and […]
Famed for its white sand beaches and dramatic sea views, the Ligurian resort of Finale Ligure is popular with sun-seekers – and also with cyclists, of both the on-road and off-road variety… In stark contrast to the lazy days and white linen lifestyle of the French Riviera just a few miles down the road from […]
The Castello sul Mare was built in 1551 as a defensive fort against pirates who had conducted raids, including the kidnappings of local civilians, in 1549… Standing by the water at Rapallo, on the Ligurian coast, the Castello sul Mare – also known as the Castello di Rapallo – connects by a small bridge to […]
Viewed here from the hills above, San Remo is the endpoint of the world’s longest professional one-day cycle race. Starting at Milan, competitors will have covered 298 kilometres by the time they reach their destination… The course of the Milan-San Remo endurance bike race is largely flat, though the hills at the end have caught […]