Liguria Review
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Liguria Review is a guide the Italian north-western coastal region of Liguria, sometimes referred to as the Italian Riviera.
The aim of the site is to point visitors in the direction of the best places to visit, provide useful travel information and cultural insight. I've personally visited every town that's featured on the site and all of the photos and descriptions are my own. Despite being relatively small in size compared to the other 19 official regions of Italy, Liguria has an enviable array of riches waiting to be discovered. Among its treasures are the famous Cinque Terre - the five fishing villages of Vernazza, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Corniglia and Monterosso al Mare. The five villages offer some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country and can be enjoyed on foot with a series of hiking trails linking them up. The Ligurian coast is split into two halves known as the Riviera di Levante and the Riviera di Ponente, named after the east (levante) and west (ponente) winds. |
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The roll-call of seaside towns on the Riviera di Levante offers up some of the most evocative locations in Europe with the likes of Portofino and Portovenere, along with a whole host of Italian favourites such as Rapallo, Sestri Levante, Camogli, Levanto and Santa Margherita Ligure to name just a few.
The two rivieras are split by the region's capital: Genoa. Once a mighty maritime republic, it is still an important commercial and trading port. The historic centre contains a series of UNESCO World Heritage sites while to either side of the city centre you'll find some gorgeous little bays such including Nervi and Boccadasse.
Beyond Genoa lies the Riviera di Ponente which stretches all the way to the border with France. Head east from the border town of Ventimiglia and you'll find major resorts like Sanremo, Alassio and Finale Ligure while a personal favourite of mine is Laigueglia. Also not to be missed is the historic town of Albenga with its remarkable medieval centre that still functions in the same way as it has for hundreds of years. Further historical towns include Chiavari which lies back down on the Riviera di Levante, and Sarzana which is close to the regional border with neighbouring Tuscany.
Liguria is first and foremost a coastal region but there are further treasures to be found inland. Leave the coastal plains and you invariably find yourself on a steep, winding road that takes you up into the cooler mountain areas. Among the best of those hill towns are the likes of Vezzano Ligure, Apricale and Triora, each perched in awkward-looking hillside locations but offering fascinating village centres.
The name "Liguria" isn't one that usually rolls off the tongue of foreign visitors who are perhaps more familiar with the "Italian Riviera" moniker, but this is a region whose name should be on the lips of anyone planning a summer holiday to Italy. Aside from the places I've mentioned above, there are dozens of other gorgeous seaside towns where the sea is crystalline blue. Along with the sparkling colours emanating from the Ligurian Sea are the brightly-coloured buildings which are are part of the architectural fabric of the region and set it apart from most others.
I would urge anyone who's unfamiliar with Liguria to peel back the lid and see what the region has to offer. If you do decide to visit then I sincerely hope you find Liguria Review to be a useful resource for planning your trip but that above all, you have a great time and take some wonderful memories home with you.
Dion Protani: founder of Liguria Review.
The two rivieras are split by the region's capital: Genoa. Once a mighty maritime republic, it is still an important commercial and trading port. The historic centre contains a series of UNESCO World Heritage sites while to either side of the city centre you'll find some gorgeous little bays such including Nervi and Boccadasse.
Beyond Genoa lies the Riviera di Ponente which stretches all the way to the border with France. Head east from the border town of Ventimiglia and you'll find major resorts like Sanremo, Alassio and Finale Ligure while a personal favourite of mine is Laigueglia. Also not to be missed is the historic town of Albenga with its remarkable medieval centre that still functions in the same way as it has for hundreds of years. Further historical towns include Chiavari which lies back down on the Riviera di Levante, and Sarzana which is close to the regional border with neighbouring Tuscany.
Liguria is first and foremost a coastal region but there are further treasures to be found inland. Leave the coastal plains and you invariably find yourself on a steep, winding road that takes you up into the cooler mountain areas. Among the best of those hill towns are the likes of Vezzano Ligure, Apricale and Triora, each perched in awkward-looking hillside locations but offering fascinating village centres.
The name "Liguria" isn't one that usually rolls off the tongue of foreign visitors who are perhaps more familiar with the "Italian Riviera" moniker, but this is a region whose name should be on the lips of anyone planning a summer holiday to Italy. Aside from the places I've mentioned above, there are dozens of other gorgeous seaside towns where the sea is crystalline blue. Along with the sparkling colours emanating from the Ligurian Sea are the brightly-coloured buildings which are are part of the architectural fabric of the region and set it apart from most others.
I would urge anyone who's unfamiliar with Liguria to peel back the lid and see what the region has to offer. If you do decide to visit then I sincerely hope you find Liguria Review to be a useful resource for planning your trip but that above all, you have a great time and take some wonderful memories home with you.
Dion Protani: founder of Liguria Review.
Liguria Highlights
Liguria In - FocusStanding proud in an area of exceptional beauty, the seaside town of Portovenere provides history, colour and romance in equal measure.
It lies at the south-western tip of the aptly-named Golfo dei Poeti, overlooking the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto. Once the playground of Lord Byron, it's a jewel of the Riviera di Levante. Portovenere, the three islands it faces, and the nearby five villages known as the Cinque Terre, have been inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1997. |
Portovenere
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The first of the five villages, Riomaggiore, lies around 15 kilometres north west of Portovenere, along one of the most picturesque stretches of coastline in Italy.
The approach to the town comes via a scenic route from the town of La Spezia, passing the smaller fishing villages of Cadimare, Fezzano and Le Grazie along the way. On arrival in Portovenere, the first thing you notice is the cluster of multi-coloured houses along the seafront known as Calata Doria or the Palazzata. Just in front of the Palazzata is Portovenere's port from where you can take excursions to the Cinque Terre and the adjacent islands or simply to travel by sea to Rapallo or La Spezia. Both towns act as useful bases from which to travel to Portovenere where it can be extremely difficult to park and where accommodation options are limited and pricey.
It was the Romans who first established the town, naming it Portus Veneris, an homage to the god of love: Venus. If you walk all the way along the seafront you eventually reach a rocky outcrop upon which sits the Chiesa di San Pietro. The church was built in the 13th century and replaced a Roman temple, also dedicated to Venus. Part of the church comprises a balcony from which you can get beautiful views out to sea or across the bay to the island of Palmaria.
Just a few steps from the Chiesa di San Pietro is a now-collapsed cave that was once called the Grotta Arpaia. It was from this cave that Byron famously swam across the to the town of San Terenzo, a quite daring feat when you consider the distances involved. As a consequence of his exploits, the cave was subsequently renamed the Grotta di Byron.
Looking back from the rocky outcrop you can take a stroll towards Via Capellini. This is one of the busiest streets in the town where the narrow passageways (known as carruggi) are overlooked by the tall port buildings. From here, you can take the steep climb away from the centre where you will first come across another church, the 12th century Chiesa di San Lorenzo. Keep an eye out here for a sculpture that depicts the saint's gruesome execution: cooked to death on a grill. Ouch!
Continuing the steep climb away from the main area of the town you eventually reach the castle. Built in the 12th century, Castello Doria is named after the famous Doria family who once controlled Genoa during its time as a major maritime power. The castle affords stunning views down to the town and across to the islands; it's a bit of a trek on a hot day but well worth all the effort once you get there.
Apart from the small, medieval centre of Portovenere, there's a long promenade, lined with restaurants and hotels, that stretches north east towards an area of beaches. If you've driven to Portovenere it's more likely that you'll have had to park somewhere along this stretch of road to find a space but it does offer an extra dimension to the town and of a course, a number of places where you can take a dip.
The approach to the town comes via a scenic route from the town of La Spezia, passing the smaller fishing villages of Cadimare, Fezzano and Le Grazie along the way. On arrival in Portovenere, the first thing you notice is the cluster of multi-coloured houses along the seafront known as Calata Doria or the Palazzata. Just in front of the Palazzata is Portovenere's port from where you can take excursions to the Cinque Terre and the adjacent islands or simply to travel by sea to Rapallo or La Spezia. Both towns act as useful bases from which to travel to Portovenere where it can be extremely difficult to park and where accommodation options are limited and pricey.
It was the Romans who first established the town, naming it Portus Veneris, an homage to the god of love: Venus. If you walk all the way along the seafront you eventually reach a rocky outcrop upon which sits the Chiesa di San Pietro. The church was built in the 13th century and replaced a Roman temple, also dedicated to Venus. Part of the church comprises a balcony from which you can get beautiful views out to sea or across the bay to the island of Palmaria.
Just a few steps from the Chiesa di San Pietro is a now-collapsed cave that was once called the Grotta Arpaia. It was from this cave that Byron famously swam across the to the town of San Terenzo, a quite daring feat when you consider the distances involved. As a consequence of his exploits, the cave was subsequently renamed the Grotta di Byron.
Looking back from the rocky outcrop you can take a stroll towards Via Capellini. This is one of the busiest streets in the town where the narrow passageways (known as carruggi) are overlooked by the tall port buildings. From here, you can take the steep climb away from the centre where you will first come across another church, the 12th century Chiesa di San Lorenzo. Keep an eye out here for a sculpture that depicts the saint's gruesome execution: cooked to death on a grill. Ouch!
Continuing the steep climb away from the main area of the town you eventually reach the castle. Built in the 12th century, Castello Doria is named after the famous Doria family who once controlled Genoa during its time as a major maritime power. The castle affords stunning views down to the town and across to the islands; it's a bit of a trek on a hot day but well worth all the effort once you get there.
Apart from the small, medieval centre of Portovenere, there's a long promenade, lined with restaurants and hotels, that stretches north east towards an area of beaches. If you've driven to Portovenere it's more likely that you'll have had to park somewhere along this stretch of road to find a space but it does offer an extra dimension to the town and of a course, a number of places where you can take a dip.
THINGS TO SEE IN LIGURIA
In this section you'll find the very best things to see in Liguria. Among the highlights are the incredible villages of the Cinque Terre, the historic city of Genoa and a whole host of Seaside Towns.
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LIGURIA ACCOMMODATIONIn the Liguria accommodation section you'll find a live search engine where you can choose from thousands of Liguria Hotels as well as general advice on what options are available to visitors.
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