Genoa
Medieval alleys, the UNESCO-listed Palazzi dei Rolli, the Old Port and the Aquarium.
428 to see · 1588 places to eat · 192 places to stay
Liguria, one carruggio at a time
Villages clinging to the cliffs, trails through olive groves, warm focaccia at seven in the morning. All 234 towns of the region, with places to eat, stay and see.
Where to go
All 234 towns
Portofino
Colourful houses around the piazzetta and park trails to San Fruttuoso.
5 to see · 18 places to eat · 7 places to stay
Camogli
Tall houses on the sea, a fishing harbour and boats to San Fruttuoso.
26 to see · 72 places to eat · 41 places to stay
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Vernazza
The only natural harbour of the Cinque Terre, with a square opening onto the sea.
8 to see · 55 places to eat · 27 places to stay
Riomaggiore
Colourful tower houses above the Marina, where the Cinque Terre begin.
5 to see · 70 places to eat · 62 places to stay
Monterosso al Mare
The largest beach of the Cinque Terre and the old village beyond the tunnel.
3 to see · 62 places to eat · 25 places to stay
Lerici
The castle overlooking the Gulf of Poets, loved by Shelley and Byron.
15 to see · 68 places to eat · 19 places to stay
Sestri Levante
Two bays on either side of a peninsula: the Bay of Silence and the Bay of Fables.
6 to see · 85 places to eat · 24 places to stay
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Santa Margherita Ligure
The seafront, Villa Durazzo and the coast road to Paraggi and Portofino.
22 to see · 96 places to eat · 25 places to stay
Levanto
Surfable waves, a medieval village and a gateway to the Cinque Terre.
5 to see · 74 places to eat · 76 places to stay
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Sanremo
The city of flowers and of the song festival, with La Pigna, the old town on the hill.
36 to see · 167 places to eat · 32 places to stay
Dolceacqua
The humpback bridge painted by Monet and the Doria castle.
2 to see · 22 places to eat · 25 places to stay
Cervo
A white village climbing around the baroque church of the coral fishermen.
10 to see · 17 places to eat · 12 places to stay
Alassio
The Muretto wall signed by famous visitors and a long sandy beach.
3 to see · 38 places to eat · 26 places to stay
Finale Ligure
Walled Finalborgo, limestone crags and mountain-bike trails.
31 to see · 140 places to eat · 60 places to stay
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Noli
Medieval towers and a past as a small maritime republic.
8 to see · 25 places to eat · 8 places to stay
Triora
The village of witches, remembered for its late 16th-century trials.
8 to see · 10 places to eat · 5 places to stay
The four provinces
Province of Genoa
Genoa and the eastern Riviera
From the regional capital to the villages of the Golfo Paradiso and Tigullio, up to the Apennine valleys.
67 towns · 3,721 places in the guide
Province of Savona
Riviera of Palms
Long beaches, medieval villages such as Noli and Finalborgo, and the climbing crags around Finale.
69 towns · 1,893 places in the guide
Province of Imperia
Riviera of Flowers
From Sanremo to the French border, with a hinterland of olive groves and hilltop villages.
66 towns · 1,698 places in the guide
Province of La Spezia
Cinque Terre and the Gulf of Poets
The five villages on their terraces, Porto Venere, Lerici and the green Val di Vara.
32 towns · 1,465 places in the guide
Not to be missed
Everything worth seeing
Aquarium · Genoa
Acquario di Genova
Museum · Savona
All About Apple Museum
Museum · Bordighera
Museo Clarence Bicknell
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Castle · Sarzana
Fortezza Firmafede
Museum · Chiavari
Museo Archeologico di Chiavari
Museum · La Spezia
Museo del Sigillo
Museum · Imperia
Museo dell'Olivo
Historic villa · Lerici
Villa Rezzola
Museum · Ventimiglia
Antiquarium di Albintimilium
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Fort · Sanremo
Forte di Santa Tecla
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Castle · Finale Ligure
Forte San Giovanni
Archaeological site · Luni
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Luni
Festivals and feasts
Patron saint days, food festivals and traditions, town by town.
At the table in Liguria
Where to eat
Pesto alla genovese
Genoese basil (PDO), pine nuts, garlic, cheese and extra-virgin olive oil, pounded in a marble mortar. Served with trofie or trenette, often with potatoes and green beans.
Focaccia di Recco with cheese
Two paper-thin sheets of dough with crescenza cheese melting in between. PGI since 2015, best eaten straight from the oven.
Genoese focaccia
The fügassa: a finger thick, glistening with olive oil and full of dimples. At breakfast it gets dunked in cappuccino.
Farinata
Chickpea flour, water, oil and salt, baked in large copper pans in a wood oven: crisp outside, soft inside.
Trofie
Little twists of hand-rolled pasta from the Golfo Paradiso. Their natural partner is pesto.
Pansoti with walnut sauce
Meatless ravioli filled with wild herbs and ricotta, dressed with a walnut sauce.
Cappon magro
The festive dish: a pyramid of fish, vegetables and sailors’ biscuits, held together by green sauce.
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Torta pasqualina
Chard and prescinseua cheese between many layers of pastry, with whole eggs hidden in the filling.
Sciacchetrà
The sweet wine of the Cinque Terre, made from grapes dried after the harvest on the terraces: amber and sweet.
Salted anchovies
Caught in the Ligurian Sea and layered by hand with salt in barrels: they have PGI status.