Delights of the Ligurian coast
The ‘alternative Amalfi’ is a term used by some for the Ligurian coast, a swoosh of sandy strands, rocky bays and belle époque seaside resort towns in the style of Cannes and Monaco. Like the Amalfi – the famous stretch of coast near Naples – Liguria is also touched with plenty of glitz and glamour, not least in the small fishing village of Portofino, which earned the reputation as a haunt for the rich and famous, after visits from Hollywood stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Humphrey Bogart. Today luxury yachts cram into the harbour, chic boutiques line its slender winding streets and some of the biggest names in fashion own holiday homes.
But there are secluded spots along this beautiful coastline, too, as it extends in a narrow ribbon from the Côte d’Azur in France, past the port city of Genoa (Liguria’s capital) to Emilia Romagna and the rolling landscapes of Tuscany to the east. Rubbing shoulders with the warm waters of the Ligurian Sea – an arm of the Mediterranean between the mainland and the island of Corsica – the Italian Riviera is dominated by sharp-edged cliffs that plunge into the blue sea. During winter, rough tides strike these rocky outcrops in great splashing bursts, while in the summer local teenagers jump repeatedly from giddy heights into much calmer waters.
These same waters are rich in marine life, with sperm whales, turtles and dolphins to be spotted out to sea – the latter are often seen swimming and leaping in the wash of ferryboats off the coast of the Cinque Terre. One of Liguria’s real gems, and now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, these ‘Five Lands’ in question are the small towns of Monterossa al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore – each with its own charm, preserved by their national park status. In Riomaggiore, stone steps and thin cobbled streets are cut into the cliffs, separating buildings of Battenberg-cake pinks and yellows from the blues and greens of the surrounding hillsides and bay. Together these famous five reveal the quieter side of this very Italian riviera as they are all but cut off by lines of ancient olive groves and vines, deep mountains, scaling cliffs and the broad Ligurian Sea.
The fine scenery continues to the east of the Cinque Terre, where another equally alluring stretch of coast, the Gulf of Poets, takes its name from the great literary personalities that have been drawn to its pretty villages and rugged shore down the years. Legendary writers include DH Lawrence, Montale, Petrarca, Byron and Shelley, the latter of whom drowned nearby when his boat, Don Juan, was hit by a storm while on its way to La Spezia, Shelley’s home, from Livorno.
Liguria continues to appeal to artists and intellectuals today, alongside other visitors from Italy and abroad. Areas of this region are often abuzz with tourists in the high season, but head inland or explore the craggy headlands away from the better-known villages during the day and a quieter side of this region soon reveals itself once the crowds have dispersed. This is a time to find an empty seat in the piazza, to toast the setting sun and the renewed quiet with a cool glass of local wine, before tucking in to some fresh Mediterranean seafood and Liguria’s most famous regional delicacy, pesto alla genovese. Now doesn’t that sound a great alternative?
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18-08-2011
