Liguria
A thin green ribbon of pesto, focaccia and pastel fishing villages, pinned between mountains and the sea.
Five reasons Liguria stays with you.
- Cinque Terre's pastel villages clinging to the cliffs
- Pesto genovese — the original, eaten with trofie
- Portofino glamour without the airfare
- Hiking the Sentiero Azzurro between fishing villages
- Focaccia di Recco — Italy's most decadent flatbread
Start here if you have a long weekend.
Vernazza
The most photogenic of the Cinque Terre, with a tiny natural harbour.
Portofino
A pocket-sized harbour beloved by Hollywood since the 1950s.
Camogli
Tall, painted fishermen's houses — a calmer alternative to Portofino.
Eat and drink like you mean it.
Our editor's picks — the tables and bottles we'd cross the country for.
Tables built into the castle ramparts.
Birthplace of focaccia di Recco col formaggio.
Rare passito dessert wine from the terraces.
Three rooms with a view.
Three ways to go deeper.
All five villages from the water, no train queues.
Mortar-and-pestle, basil from the producer.
Coastal trail to a sea-locked abbey.
Best time to visit · May, June, September. Avoid August — the trains are unbearable.
The Italian Riviera & Cinque Terre.
A curated edit — what to see, where to eat what the locals eat, and where to sleep with intention.
Vernazza
The most photogenic of the Cinque Terre, with a tiny natural harbour.
- — Castello Doria
- — Santa Margherita d'Antiochia
- — Sentiero Azzurro trail
- BelforteTables built into the castle ramparts.
- La MalàTiny boutique guesthouse over the harbour.
Portofino
A pocket-sized harbour beloved by Hollywood since the 1950s.
- — Castello Brown
- — Faro di Portofino
- — Chiesa di San Giorgio
- Da PunyPesto and trofie under the piazzetta umbrellas.
- Splendido Mare, A Belmond HotelHarbourfront grande dame.
Camogli
Tall, painted fishermen's houses — a calmer alternative to Portofino.
- — Castello della Dragonara
- — Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
- — San Fruttuoso Abbey
- Da PaoloFamily seafood trattoria, decades-strong.
- Villa RosmarinoMid-century design retreat above the bay.
Genova
A salty, vertical port city — focaccia mornings and palazzo afternoons.
- — Strade Nuove (UNESCO palaces)
- — Cattedrale di San Lorenzo
- — Boccadasse
- Trattoria RosmarinoGenoese classics done with care.
- Palazzo GrilloDesign hotel inside a historic palazzo.
Tellaro
A pink-and-ochre village at the Gulf of Poets' edge, loved by Lawrence and Montale.
- — Chiesa di San Giorgio
- — Piazza Figoli
- — Coastal path to Lerici
- Locanda MirandaStoried seafood inn since 1959.
- Locanda MirandaA handful of rooms above the restaurant.
