Liguria

Liguria is located in the north of Italy, between the French Riviera, Piemonte and Tuscany. Ligurian sea, mild weather, sceneries and good food are well known worldwide. This is the land of the ancient Ligurians.

They founded towns here before the romans. Their home land was from the now Tuscany border down to south of France. Along its coasts arrived people from north countries like vikings and from the south like the saracens. The inland is full of history and places to visit and enjoy due to powerful Ligurians and Genoese families which used to travel and trade all over the world and build castles and mantion houses which now, in many cases, are nice hotels and good restaurants. It was really here, along the Ligurian coasts and its villages that some English gentlemen started to discover travelling and how to be a tourist. And in this respect this is really the place to enjoy for every type of tourist: from exclusive places like Portofino or Sanremo to really nice campings along its sandy coastal beaches, to the wonderful mountains sceneries with ancient typical villages.

Liguria Provinces

Genoa, Savona, Imperia and La Spezia.

All these are along the sea and along the coast and they form with all other important villages and towns the Ligurian Italian Riviera. These provinces have also an important and interesting inland and other important parts of the region are to be found in many of the nearby coastal valleys like in the Nervia valley, the Argentine valley, the Impero valley, the Arroscia valley, the Pennavaire valley, The Finale valley, the Scrivia valley, the Fontanabuona valley, the Vara valley, and the Magra valley, ending up as ideal border to the nearby regions up to the trekking. Some are now part of the Ligurie, parks where interesting activities and sports can be carried out.

Genoa the most important town in Liguria, is the Land of Christopher Columbus and it has been appointed Cultural Capital for the year 2004 by the European Commission.

Liguria is also an important region of comunication and Pilgrims ways of all kinds on the way from from the nearby countries and going down to other part of of Italy.

Destinations in Liguria

Genoa, Riviera delle Palme, The Cinque Terre, Albenga, Sanremo, Ceriale, Portovenere, Portofino, Noli
Tellaro, Ventimiglia, Albisola and Albissola

Events in Liguria

Festivals and major annual events of many types are held all around Liguria.

The most famous is the Italian National Song Contest. It is held in Sanremo generally in Febrary, and it famous worldwide with the presence of very important Italian and foreigners singers and actors. This year is the 50th edition. A very important boat show (it is said to be the most important in the world) is held periodically in October in Genoa. Theatre major events are held in Genoa all the year round and in many Italian Riviera towns and villages during summertime.

Two important gastronomy festivals are held at Lavagna with "The torta dei Fieschi", a colossal cake, with ancient costumes parade and at Camogli with "The sagra del pesce" Fried fish made with a giant specially made frying pan and where all persons present are offered a taste.

One of the major events of the year 2000 is "El siglo de los Genovesis" (The Century of the Genoises). A stunning exibition of paintings and precious objects held at "Palazzo Ducale" (here in the picture) of Genoa. It is all about the century when Genoa was powerful along the known seas and around Europe and is due to last until May.

One great boat exibition will involve Genoa and many coastal villages for the 2000 Big Boat Ship Race. Every 4 years the most important appointment for all flower lovers is in Genoa for the "Euroflora" Exibition.

Detailed indications about major local events are given in the single respective town sections.

The Cinque Terre

The Cinque Terre are five coastal villages in the province of La Spezia in the Liguria region of Italy. "Discovered" by foreigners in the late 20th century, they have come to be among the most popular areas of Italy among tourists. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all encapsulated in a national park by the same name. The Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The five villages are, from west to east (i.e., from Genoa towards La Spezia):

•    Monterosso al Mare
•    Vernazza
•    Corniglia
•    Manarola
•    Riomaggiore

Getting around The Cinque Terre

A local train line from La Spezia to Genoa connects all five villages. The train connecting the five villages runs in what is mainly a tunnel for the full distance between Riomaggiore and Monterosso, emerging from the rock infrequently for quick glimpses of the Mediterranean down the hill. Train service is quick and frequent, although it can get busy on the weekends.

There is a passenger ferry service running between the five villages, providing a different vantage point of the rugged coastline and shore line at each village. The boat leaves from Genoa's Old Harbour and La Spezia, Lerici or Portovenere.

There are well-laid out walking trails connecting each village to its neighbors. The path from Riomaggiore to Manarola is called the Via Dell'Amore (roughly, "Lovers Walk"). This winds along the shore, is very picturesque and is very easy to hike. The stretch from Manarola to Corniglia is also easy to hike, although the main trail into Corniglia finishes with a climb of 368 stairs. The trail from Corniglia to Vernazza is steep at certain places. The trail from Vernazza to Monterosso is by far the steepest. It winds through olive orchards and vineyards and is rough in places, but offers the best view of the bay and the spectacular approaches to both Monterosso and Vernazza. There are nominal fees to use the more popular walking trails, but the less frequently travelled (and most arduous) are free of charge.

All the villages have small hotels or inns, as do some of the smaller villages near the Cinque Terre. There are many bed and breakfasts throughout the area that offer excellent service and frequently beautiful views of the Mediterranean and the surrounding hills.

Food and wine

Given its location on the Mediterranean, seafood is plentiful in the local cuisine. Anchovies are a delicious local specialty. The mountainsides of the Cinque Terre are heavily terraced and are used to cultivate grapes and olives. The Cinque Terre forms the southern-most part of the Liguria region, so pesto is a common local dish. Focaccia is a particularly common local bread.

The grapes of the Cinque Terre are used to produce two locally made wines. The eponymous Cinque Terre and the Sciacchetrà are both made using Bosco, Albarola, and Vermentino grapes. Both wines are produced by the Cooperative Agricoltura di Cinque Terre (“Cinque Terre Agricultural Cooperative”), located between Manarola and Volastra.

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