Liguria
Location
Among the many holiday possibilities that Liguria offers are the chance to practise sports, in a huge open-air training ground, or the chance to discover the folklore, with its many coloured tapestry of traditions and memories.
You can concentrate on the handicrafts, or follow the progress of religious piety and devoutness of the ordinary people. There are traces of poets, writers and painters who, with their words and pictures, have sung the praises of this harsh, generous and beautiful land, of its towns and its villages. The morphology of the coastline is very varied, with rocky shores alternating with pebble-beaches and sands. At some points, little islands emerge just a short distance from the shore - ideal conditions far sub-aqua enthusiasts who find countless things to interest them in the deep seas of Liguria.
What makes the coastal panorama of Liguria really unique, however are the old fishing villages. They can be seen embedded in the rocks (as often happens along the Eastern Riviera - the Riviera di Levante -- where the mountains come right down to the sea in ragged folds) or Iying beside the short beaches (as in many stretches of the Western Riviera - the Riviera di Ponente - where there is more often room far them between the mountains and the sea), and they reflect a long history of man"s industriousness in a difficult environment. A sort of eternal, infinite duality: a soul split into two, sharply divided between the enterprising industry of the hundreds of seaside resorts and the calm austerity of the small inland townships.
The Ligurian Sea
A never-ending sea, always changing, and full of surprises and novelty. The Ligurian coast runs along far 300 kilometres, but if you count the hidden coves, the headlands and the creeks in the c1iffs, the stare line extends far 450 kilometres.Thus the sea in Liguria has something to suit all tastes, but the region offers many attractions in the 1ess well-known areas inland as well. Here, the lush beauties of the countryside intermingle with the history and traditions of villages with their ancient origins. In Liguria, there is a whole world to be discovered, but slowly, far those who like to appreciate small details: a breath of air, a glance, a corner to become fond of. the atmosphere, the art and the culture, the memory. Choosing to have a holiday in Liguria means choosing a way of living - slower, with more attention to detail, with a more delicate touch.
The Riviera
This is one of the possible ways of interpreting the land of Liguria through its towns and villages. Liguria changed drastically in the 20th century, but has kept its traditional physiognomy in its more evocative corners such as the Hanbury Gardens at La Mortola, near Ventimiglia, the Portofino mountain or the charming corners of the Cinque Terre or Portovenere. But Liguria reveals itself in its urban landscapes, too, with their layers of continually evolving history. There are large, dynamic, vibrant, modern cities, such as Genoa, of course, but there is also Savona, La Spezia and Imperia, which have developed around their ports. And there are the large resorts of international tourism, with Bordighera, San Remo, Laigueglia, Albenga, Alassio, Finale Ligure, Pietra Ligure, Albissola, Varazze and Arenzano on the Western Riviera, and Lerici, Levanto and the Cinque Terre, Nervi and Portofino, Santa Margherita and Rapallo on the Eastern Riviera. There are many towns which bear traces of an ancient, I glorious history: Ventimiglia, Taggia, Noli, Chiavari, Sarzana and Varese Ligure make up a mosaic which must be looked at I carefully and discovered in all its shades of colour.
