ITALIAN RIVIERA - A VIRTUAL TOUR IN FULLSCREEN QTVR
La Dolce Vita, captured in 20 fullscreen panoramas.
by Michelle Bienias
Liguria’s long, narrow stretch of coastline, from Ventimiglia in the west to Portovenere in the east, lies on the Mediterranean and is sheltered by the Maritime Alps and Ligurian Apennines to the north. The region has very mild winters and brilliant, hot summers with only about 60 days of rain a year. Liguria is usually referred to as the Italian Riviera and is comprised of two regions: The Riviera di Ponente (Riviera of the Setting Sun), which stretches from the French border to Genoa, and the Riviera di Levante, which spans from Genoa east to Portovenere. The Ponente is home to the fancy seaside resort of Sanremo and evokes its commercialized French counterparts to the west, while the Levante is home to smaller villages and a rockier coastline with glittering jewels of its own, like Portofino and the famous walkers’ destination of Cinque Terre.
Imperia is a small port and winter resort of 40,000. It’s cathedral, built from 1780-1832, dominates the city. It has a wonderful little olive oil museum, ‘Museo dell’Olivo’, that is well worth a visit.
San Remo has the lovely old quarter of Pigna, a medieval town amongst the ornate gardens and glittering casino of San Remo. (Residents of San Remo are forbidden in the casino, as they are in Monte Carlo.) Hike to the top of the hill in Pigna for a breathtaking view of the Levante and the Ponente.
During Roman times, Albenga and Ventimiglia were the most important centers in western Liguria. Albenga was the birthplace of the Emperor Pertinax and was founded in the second century BC as Albium Ingaunum. There are still remnants of the ancient and medieval civilizations found here with baths, an aqueduct, a Roman burial ground and the remains of a 2nd century amphitheatre.
Ceriale enjoys a year round mild climate due to its surrounding hills that buffer the cold currents from the north. It is a well-developed tourist destination with hotels, residences and camping sites. The area is one of the most noted fossil areas in Italy and also has numerous caves; the longest one (1170m) was discovered in 1950.
Finale Ligure was inhabited in both prehistoric and Roman times and has had a colorful history passing in and out of Genoese control until the Republic of Genoa finally bought it in 1713 from the Spanish.
In the middle of the Italian Riviera sits Genoa, Italy’s largest commercial port, Ligurian capital and the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. A chaotic mix of old and new, sophistication and squalor, Genoa (or Genova) is as multi-layered as the hills on which it lies. A port city, it was an important maritime center for the Roman Empire and later one of the largest and wealthiest cities of Renaissance Europe. The historic Genoa can be found within the medieval walls of the old town, in the lanes and alleys where palaces and churches stand next to tenements. The modern city stretches for miles along the coast and into the hills with theatres, museums, restaurants, cafes, shopping centers and Europe’s largest aquarium, located near the port. Genoa has been chosen the cultural capital of Europe for 2004.
Portofino is the glittering jewel of the Ligurian coast. Although there is not much to do here, it is a place to see and be seen (Bogart and Bacall and Taylor and Burton made it world-famous), and the view from the harbor of the port with its brightly painted houses will likely keep your camera busy. Nearby is the monastery of La Cervara and the church of S. Giorgio, which is said to contain relics of St. George brought back from the Holy Land. It was Pliny who first described this stunning natural area and named it 'Portus Delphini'. This over time was corrupted to Portofino.
From Portofino you can catch a ferry to Santa Margherita Ligure, one of the Riviera’s main resorts. Nearby is Rapallo, a city of nearly 30,000 people it’s one of the largest on the eastern Riviera. It lies sheltered from winds and currents in an inlet on the Golfo del Tigullio, and was inhabited in pre-Roman times. The castle overlooking the sea was built in 1550 by the Genoese. Today, Rapallo is an important tourist attraction because of the high quality of hotel accommodation and the important cultural events it hosts, such as a national literary prize for female writers and an international cartoon exhibition. It also boasts two ports that can hold up to 900 boats, a seaside promenade and many outdoor cafes, along with an 18-hold golf course situated next to the ruins of the Valle Christi, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1204.
Chiavari was the hub of the eastern Riviera until 1727 and then, during the Napoleonic years, it was the capital of the Appennine region. In the late 19th century it became an international destination for the high society of the time and today, many Italians who had emigrated to South America now come back to their vacation villas.
The village of Lavagna takes its name from the slate rock (“lavagna”) formed in this area 70 million years ago, when the Alps were also formed. The town was founded around the 10th century and grew as it began exporting its slate. It also has the biggest tourist port in the Mediterranean and attracts boaters and other tourists to its beaches, gorges and mild climate.
Levanto is separated from the Cinque Terre by the promontory of Mesco. It’s a typical maritime village facing the sea and surrounded by green hills and scrub. Box-type tombs reveal the village’s ancient origins dating back to the Iron Age and its rare natural bay made it an important port and trading center to the Romans. Today Levanto is a wel-known tourist destination popular in the summer for its beaches and rocky coast.
Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre exerts a magnetism all its own. The region of the Five Lands, as it’s been referred to since the 15th century, consists of a pattern of cultivated terraces that rise steeply above the ultramarine waters of the Mediterranean. Home of Liguria's least crowded beaches, picturesque village squares, glorious views, and 18km of coastline along the Mediterranean between Levanto and Portovenere, the Cinque Terre is arguably the most famous area along the Italian Riviera, taking its name from five small villages – Corniglia, Manarola, Monterossa al Mare, Riomaggiore and Vernazza – that cling to the wild Ligurian coastline.
From east to west, each village has its charms: Monterosso, founded in 643, has the most famous beach, an ancient castle and a 16th century Capucchin monastery; Corniglia is built the furthest up the hillside and offers great views and a more secluded beach; Vernazza juts out over the water and houses a medieval tower; the fishing village of Manarola with its colorful houses perched on a black rock over the port; and the last village, the picturesque Riomaggiore with its pastel-colored houses tumbling down the cliff to the sea; and at the very tip of the Cinque Terre promontory lies Portovenere.
By train, the total distance between these villages is only 9 kilometers, but by trail the villages are more distant. One can reach Riomaggiore from Manarola via the popular Via dell’Amore (Love Route), which is a 30 minutes walk along the coast.
A scenic walking path that winds along the jagged cliffs connects the villages. The best way to see them is to trek the many sentieri (paths). The most famous is the Via dell'Amore, which links Riomaggiore to Manarola, through vineyards and fragrant brush land. From Vernazza to Monterosso, Via delle Agavi follows the rocky outcrops peppered with wild cactus. The entire walk takes seven to ten hours and is often quite rigorous, although the paths are well marked
Imbued with romantic drama, from the Gulf of La Spezia where Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned, this area has been a favorite location for some of the gothic novelists. Loved by Lord Byron and D.H. Lawrence, the dramatic geology of the area is said to have inspired Shelley's wife, Mary Wollstonecraft, to write Frankenstein.
Monterosso was settled in 643 when those living in the hills were chased to the coast by barbaric invasions. The name likely comes from the red-haired ruling family of the time. Little has changed in the old part of Monterosso with its tower-houses and narrow alleys, very similar to the other villages of the Cinque Terre. There still exists a castle with three round towers overlooking the sea and a medieval tower that is the bell-tower of the Church of San Giovanni. The beach is the longest in the area and alternates sandy areas with isolated reefs.
Corniglia does not directly face the sea but lies on top of a promontory 100 meters high surrounded on three sides by vineyards and terraces, while the fourth side descends sharply to the sea. To reach Corniglia one must climb the “Lardarina”, a long flight of steps comprised of thirty-three sets of 377 steps, or take a road from the station to the village. The other villages of the Cinque Terre are divided on either side of Corniglia and can be viewed from the terrace.
From the fine-tasting local specialties, the famed vines and extra virgin olive oil to the flowery scents of the wind-swept promontories, cool pine forests, warm sunny outcrops and the sparkling blue Mediterranean; you are sure to find your own slice of heaven on the Italian Riviera.
 Other articles on the Italian Riviera:
Cinque Terre
Genova (Genoa)
Portovenere
A train journey through Liguria's wine country.
Other articles:
The Best of the French Riviera
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