Liguria — My Travel Stories

Cinque Terre, Italy

Cinque Terre, Italy May, 2022 Charming Cinque Terre Rocky coastlines, colourful houses and pristine blue sea. Does it get any more beautiful than this? From the frenetic, bustling pace in Florence the expanse of nature has been a welcome embrace. We hiked between the five “official” Cinque Terre towns (plus a couple of “unofficial” destinations) along coastline trails, up and over mountain tops and through vineyards clinging to the steep, terraces slopes.

Genoa

Genoa November, 2024 Grandiose Genoa We decided to wing the last bit of our time in Italy, with no plan after Piemonte. The weather ended up being surprisingly fabulous for November so we headed to the Ligurian Coast to explore the Italian Riviera. We based ourselves in Genoa which I found to be a city of contrasts.

Noli

Our day trip from Genoa along the Riviera di Ponente (the Western Riviera) started in Noli, a onetime independent republic that is now a lovely seaside town that manages to escape the touristy crush. It’s off-season on the coast so the villages were pretty quiet on a weekday, some so quiet that most cafés, restaurants and shops were closed.

Cervo

After Noli, the beautiful hilltop village of Cervo beckoned us with its colourful houses stacked up the hillside and baroque church dominating its tiny landscape.

Boccadasse to Nervi Stroll

Our next coastal day trip was east towards Portofino. Being a weekend it was definitely busier, which gave the day a more upbeat vibe! Heading east out of Genoa towards the Riviera di Levante, past the busy town and working port, is the most lovely strolling boardwalk. It's about 7.5km with the last 2km being worth the first 5.5km journey.

Camogli

My favourite town in this direction was Camogli where we stopped for lunch. A fishing village for centuries, we had fabulous seafood by the boats…

Portofino

And to finish the day, we found our way to the infamous Portofino. We had to go see what all the fuss is about. It was the end of the day and most things were closed except for the excellent gelato shop! My hazelnut gelato paired well with my pear and chocolate sorbetto.

Recco

Next stop in our Road Trip #2 from Bologna was Recco along the Ligurian Coast. We booked lunch at 2pm and didn't get there till 3pm, but they still gave us a table (restaurant closed at 3). I hopped out of the car to beg for the table while Gilly and Laurie went to look for parking.