Liguria Travel Dispatch

It's a sunny February day in Liguria, the region along the Mediterranean between Tuscany and France. Its midpoint is Genoa, the capital city – the section that runs west from there to France is known as the Riveria Ponente, while the part that runs east to Tuscany is known as the Riveria Levante. 

Liguria is a spectacular place, known for great eats and incredible landscapes. Along the promenade between the bays of Paraggi and Portofino, located on the Levante, jackets come off, followed by sweaters, resulting in a thinly sparsed crowd of T-shirt wearers. In Paraggi some decided to sprawl out on the beach –  it's the off-season so there are no umbrellas, noise, or gatherings – to work on their tan. 

There's also Manarola, a small village on the Riviera di Levante, that's part of the Cinque Terre National Park. From the side, Via dell’Amore, a romantic path overlooking the sea that reaches Riomaggiore.

With a sea that sparkles in hues of blue and emerald green, an azure sky, and dark green Mediterranean shrubbery, Liguria is one of the world's most beautiful places. Climb up Mount Portofino to find yourself in the silence of nature, among the olive groves and the view of the Gulf of Tigullio and that of Paradise, and there's not a better metaphor. Then you go down to the Piazzetta, the chicest of its kind in Italy, for a paciugo (an ice cream sundae with cherries, strawberries, and whipped cream)  to reconcile with La Dolce Vita. 

And it's like this everywhere, from Ventimiglia in the west, the border town beside France's Côte d'Azur, to Lunigiana, the final stop in the east before Tuscany. Along the miles of uninterrupted sea, millionaire villas stud the hilltops, mega yachts stand higher than houses, sailboats prep for America's Cup, and lonely farmhouses skirt the edge of the hermitage where people live simply in close contact to the earth. They're surrounded by nature while maintaining the vocation of hospitality with small b&bs.

It is true, the beaches are one after the other, organized and specialized – there is one for dogs, one for snorkeling, one for diving. They serve a purpose similar to city lounges, frequented more for social reasons than seaside ones.

From Finale Ligure to Santa Margherita to Porto Venere to the Cinque Terre, Liguria is among the world's most fantasized destinations. Americans and Australians are captivated by the poignant beauty of the photo with the waves breaking on the colored houses clinging to the mountain. But the definitive conquest takes place when you arrive – it's impossible to forget (or resist!) the scent of Genoese focaccia or the cheesy focaccia di Recco straight out of the oven. 

And how can you resist a plate of trofie al pesto and coniglio alla ligure, or Ligurian rabbit, on the set menus of the historic inns in the hinterland? The focus on quality of these rustic spots is evident in Trattoria La Brinca in Ne, an inland town in the province of Genoa, whose sommelier was recently rewarded by Michelin.

Sciacchetrà, a dessert wine produced in the Cinque Terre from the Bosco, Vermentino, and Albarola grapes, deserves a tasting. This “heroic” wine is harvested by hand on terraces stolen from the mountain overlooking the sea.  

A slew of good memories awaits travelers in Liguria, like oyster fishing from Porto Venere and the tasting of the rare Vermentino produced by Nathalia Grosvenor, the Duchess of Westminster. Last, but not least, savoring a plate of fried small white fish from Portofino is a must. 

Cover photo: Portofino, Getty Images