Marina Spironetti visits the intriguing city state of Seborga in western Liguria. Fiercely independent, it still boasts its own currency, its own passport and, yes, its own prince… Small countries have always fascinated me. From Andorra to Liechtenstein, from Monaco to San Marino – tiny states with their own history, proud to be different. I […]
Marina Spironetti explores the most beautiful seaside locations in eastern Liguria, while learning how to become an old salt… How do you say lupo di mare?” “Hmm… salty sea dog,” Kate answered. “Oh well, I think I am more of an unsalted land bear.” “So am I,” exclaimed my friend Silvana. Aside from a few […]
Il Golfo di Lerici lies on the Ligurian coast, about halfway between Genoa and Livorno. Commonly, albeit unofficially, is also known as Il Golfo dei Poeti…. The Renaissance poet Francesco Petracco (aka Petrarch, to the English; Petrarca to the Italians) travelled extensively throughout Europe – indeed, as well as his more famous epithet: “The Father […]
The Torre dei Quattro Canti in Noli stands as a reminder of the days when wealthy families were permitted to erect buildings as a record of their munificent benefactions to their town… The Tower of the Four Corners in Noli, in the Province of Savona, is perhaps the most striking building of several in this […]
While neighbouring Portofino and the Cinque Terre are arguably the best-known tourist destinations on the Italian Riviera, the town of Sestri Levante is becoming a favourite among Italians… Originally a small, secluded island, Sestri Levante is now connected to the mainland, and what used to be a small fishing village is slowly becoming a tourist […]
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 […]
This poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley was inspired by his time spent on the Gulf of Lerici, unofficially knows as the Gulf of Poets because of the large number of writers who were inspired by living here …I sat and saw the vessels glide Over the ocean bright and wide, Like spirit-winged chariots sent […]