Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Italian Riviera is
the vibrancy of the colours. Everything
takes on a cheerful pastel shade from the deep blue hues of the Mediterranean
Sea to the brightly coloured houses of the fishing villages which cling to its
shores. All this is set against the
backdrop of the lush green wooded hillsides of the Ligurian Apennines. This post will focus on the eastern end of
the Ligurian coastline, known in Italian as the ‘Riviera di Levante’. This colourful stretch of coastline stretches
between the historic seaport cities of Genoa and La Spezia, and is arguably one
of the prettiest coastlines in Europe.
The area often attracts the rich and famous, who are drawn in by chic
resorts such as Portofino and Santa Margherita whose harbours are filled with
luxury yachts.
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| Golfo Paradiso |
Just about every town or village along this coastline is
worth a visit, but I’ll start by describing my personal favourite. Clinging to steep hillsides at the southern
end of the Golfo Paradiso, I fell in
love with Camogli as soon as I arrived. The
small town has been a busy fishing port for hundreds of years. The entire town is painted intricately with
bright pastel colours; it is said that the tradition of painting the buildings
bright colours emerged as a way of helping fisherman find their way back to the
harbour! A rather interesting aspect of
the town is the height of the houses, many of which tower up to nine stories
above the narrow streets. An elegant
promenade leads along the town’s seafront past the pretty pebble beach, and
then through an archway to the harbour.
Many bars and restaurants line the seafront, serving traditional Italian
and Ligurian specialities. Whilst in
Camogli, a worthwhile trip is the monastery of San Fruttuoso. Nested at the foot of Monte di Portofino, this secluded location is only accessible by
boat or on foot. Although I didn’t visit
San Fruttuoso myself, I understand there are frequent boat departures from the
harbours of both Camogli and Portofino which are well-advertised throughout the
area.
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| Boats in Camogli Harbour |
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| Camogli Promenade |
Around the headland from San Fruttuoso is the Golfo del Tigullio. This section of coastline stretches from
Portofino to Sestri Levante, and is home to the most exclusive resorts in the
Italian Riviera. Perhaps the most famous
of these is Portofino. This very
attractive small town is nestled at the end of a long natural harbour filled
with expensive yachts. Portofino is
definitely worth a visit, however I advise staying outside of Portofino itself,
as accommodation (and everything for that matter!) is extremely expensive in the
town. There’s only one road into
Portofino – a very scenic road winds its way around the coast from Santa
Margherita. However, the road is narrow
and prone to congestion in busy periods.
On top of this, parking spaces fill up quickly and are very
expensive. Perhaps the best way into
town is by boat – regular services leave for Portofino from most of the surrounding
towns.
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| Portofino |
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| Each building is a work of art! |
Around the coast from Portofino is the charming town of Santa
Margherita Ligure, which is slightly larger than Portofino, but no less
luxurious! Other places worth seeing in
this stretch of coastline are Rapallo, Zoagli and Sestri Levante. Rapallo is a larger town, and has a busy,
lively atmosphere. A weekly market is
held in the town, which is pleasant to stroll around. Zoagli is a quiet fishing village, built
around a pretty pebble beach. Sestri
Levante is a relatively large resort town, built on a small headland. On entering Sestri, you will first encounter
the new town, which is rather unattractive, but don’t let this put you off –
the historic centre of town is beautiful.
It has a typical Ligurian feel with its narrow streets lined with pastel
coloured houses, restaurants and cafés.
Sestri Levante hides a hidden gem; tucked away behind the historic town
is the sandy beach of Baia di Silenzio. This is one of the few sandy beaches along
this section of coastline – most beaches are pebbles or shingle.
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| Sestri Levante |
Further south is the stunning landscape of the Cinque Terre,
which translates to ‘Five Lands’ in
English, and refers to the five main villages – Riomaggiore, Manarola,
Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare.
The unique scenery and rich cultural heritage of the Cinque Terre has
led to its protected status as a national park, and a UNESCO world heritage
site. This stretch of coastline is dominated
by particularly dramatic, rugged scenery with mountains plunging steeply into
the sea. It is hard to imagine how
near-vertical slopes can be used as productive land, but it has in fact been
farmed for hundreds of years by means of a series of terraces leading up the
mountainsides. Although there is a road
linking the park to Levante in the north and La Spezia in the south, travelling
by car in the Cinque Terre is rather difficult, because the main villages are
car-free (with the exception of Monterosso, which is larger and more
accessible). It is possible to park
above the villages and walk down the hill, but be prepared for some walking!
Probably the best way to get around is by train or by boat. A railway line connects all five villages to
the rest of Italy; this runs in tunnels for most of its distance as to not ruin
the scenery. Most mainline trains stop
at Monterosso, but local trains should be used to access the other five
villages. Boats call at most villages,
and leave from Genoa, Portovenere, La Spezia and Lerici.
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| Steep terrain in the Cinque Terre |
Although technically not part of the Cinque Terre, the
nearby village of Portovenere has a very similar feel and is certainly worth
visiting. It is also protected under the
Cinque Terre UNESCO world heritage site area.
Portovenere is slightly larger and more accessible by road, whilst
managing to retain the same charm as the Cinque Terre villages. A large castle stands above the village, and
the long harbourside is line with pastel coloured houses. It is built at the tip of the Gulf of La
Spezia, which is more affectionately known as the ‘Gulf of Poets’ (Italian: ‘Golfo
dei Poeti’) so called because of the numerous poets and writers, including
Byron and Shelley, who drew inspiration from the area. The end of the bay is dominated by the busy
seaport city of La Spezia. Whilst in the
area, I would recommend visiting the surrounding coastal villages rather than
the city of La Spezia itself; the busy atmosphere of La Spezia doesn’t offer
the same charm. On the other side of the
bay, Lerici, Tellaro and San Terenzo are pretty coastal villages which are pleasant
to visit. Lerici is probably the best
beach resort in the area – the town’s sandy beach is easily accessible and is
made up of both public and private sections.
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| Portovenere |
Owing to its maritime heritage, seafood features a lot in
Ligurian cooking. Those who like fish
and shellfish will be spoilt for choice!
However, there is also plenty of choice for fussy eaters like myself who
don’t like seafood! My personal favourite
dish is ‘trofie al pesto’, a local
pasta dish which you will find on every menu!
Italian ice cream ‘gelato’ is
amazing; it is available in all flavours imaginable, and you will find ice
cream shops ‘gelaterie’ around almost
every corner. Although not specifically
from this region of Italy, the pizza here is fantastic and can be found
everywhere!!
Travel to the area is easy – the closest airport is Genoa
which offers has regular flights from London airports. Further afield, the airports of Pisa and Nice
are served by budget airlines, but are both about 2 hours by car from the Riviera di Levante. The entire coastline is
very accessible by train; a railway runs parallel to the coastline linking the
towns to the rest of Italy and other parts of Europe.
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| Golfo Paradiso (Taken near Sori) |
TThis post will be followed in the coming weeks with an
account of Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast of southern Italy. As always, thanks for reading and happy travels!
Elis Griffiths. x
