This Italian region
of 320km (200 miles) of rocky, wooded coastline running from France
to Tuscany is where the Italian ‘boot’ begins. This
is the Riviera, Italy’s answer to the Côte
d’Azur, and there are excellent facilities for tourists even
in the smallest of the ports. The coastal hills tend to be less
developed.
Genoa
Genoa is the capital of Liguria, has long been
an important commercial and military port. Ferries depart daily
from the port for Sardinia. The Medieval district
of Genoa holds many treasures including the Church of Sant’Agostino
(next to the Museo dell’Architettura e Scultura Ligure), the
beautiful Church of San Donato, the 12th-century
Church of Santa Maria di Castello, the Gothic
Cathedral of San Lorenzo and the Porta Soprana
(the old stone entrance gate to the city).
Outside the Medieval district the Via Garibaldi
is where many of the city’s richest inhabitants built their
palaces and is a beautiful walk, with Palazzo Bianco
(now an art gallery with paintings by Rubens and
Van Dyck), Palazzo Podesta and
the magnificently decorated Palazzo Rosso (adjacent
to the Palazzo Bianco and housing paintings by Caravaggio,
Dürer and Titian). The Acquario
(Aquarium) presents underwater ocean life, with over 1000 species
housed in fifty vast tanks, making it one of the largest centre
of its kind in Europe.
The Riviera
This narrow strip of coastline is divided into two, the Riviera
di Ponente (to the west), from Ventimiglia to Genoa, and
the Riviera di Levante (to the east), from Genoa
to La Spezia. The former includes wide sandy beaches and the rather
commercial seaside resorts of San Remo and Bordighera,
while the latter boasts small bays backed by rocky cliffs and more
exclusive retreats such as Portofino and Cinque
Terre.
Portofino is the best
known, with its small picturesque harbour full of sleek yachts,
luxury clothes shops, romantic villas owned by the rich and famous
perched on the hillside and the Castello di San Giorgio,
sitting high up on a promontory with magnificent views of the Portofino
harbour and bay. The beach at Santa Margherita Ligure,
just 5km (3 miles) south of Portofino, is an excellent place to
swim, with a magical view of the surrounding cliffs and villas from
the warm and crystal-clear aquamarine water.
Rapallo,
8km (5 miles) south of Portofino, is less fashionable and subsequently
a little less expensive. At the southern tip of the Riviera
di Levante lie Cinque Terre, a series
of five picturesque fishing villages linked by scenic mountainside
paths and surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. Here one finds
the region’s least exploited beaches. |
