The Italian Riviera

The stretch of coastline that extends from the French border around the Ligurian Sea is known as the Italian Riviera. It may not have the glitz of Cannes or the glamour of St Tropez, but there are enough rich and famous people in the playground to warrant the title.

The village of Portofino, with its yacht-filled harbour and security-guarded designer shops, is the hub of the action. Obviously that’s the kind of place we’d fit right into, so it’s where we headed to begin our tour of the Italian Riveria.

In days gone by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton could be spotted in Portofino

These days it's more likely to be Madonna or Mariah Carey - or us! 🙂

Portofino is a beautiful little village, and among the Louis Vuittons and the Brunello Cucinellis, there are some good osterias and a great gelato shop

Giorgio Armani's superyacht, Main, in Portofino harbour; just a couple of weeks ago, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was poking around these waters on his own $400m superyacht

But enough day-dreaming - it was back onto the crowded local ferry for us

San Fruttuoso Abbey; this tiny beach can be reached only by boat or on foot

But that doesn't stop hundreds of people making their way here on hot summer days

Santa Margherita Ligure - the view from the train station

Traditionally known as Tigullio, Santa Margherita's key industries are fishing - and tourism

Greg was tempted by the delicious-looking fruit for sale here, but at AUD $5.50 for a single peach he found he wasn't that hungry after all

Many of Santa Margherita's buildings are decorated with Ligurian tromp l'oeil designs

 

And while the painted balconies, shutters and urns are beautiful and fascinating (the only real bits here are the green shutters) ...

... it's the area's natural attractions people come to enjoy at this time of year

Genoa, the business centre of the Italian Riveria

This city has a long and proud history, and much of it is still on show

Genoa's Cattedrale di San Lorenzo was consecrated in 1118

Its striking black and white facade was completed a couple of hundred years later

 

 

 

But why does this Cathedral lion seem so unhappy?

Maybe it's because his friend across the way is behind bars 🙂

Genoa's maze of medieval streets is well preserved

And then there's the 'new bit', Via Giuseppe Garibaldi

Where the Genoese aristocracy built their palaces during the Renaissance

 

Genoa has always been an important sea port - Christopher Columbus was born here - and still today it's Italy's busiest port

The old harbour has been redeveloped in recent years; now it's a safe place for people to visit and enjoy

It's just a pity about the concrete freeway they've plonked right in front of the port's elegant old buildings

We enjoyed our visit to the Italian Riviera - but we'd have liked it a whole lot more from the deck of a super yacht with champagne and caviar in hand