Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LIGURIA
POP 1.57 MILLION
The first thing to strike you about Liguria is its almost total lack of flatness. Wedged in a
sinuous arc between Piedmont and the sea, this is where the Alps and the Apennines casca-
de precipitously into the Mediter-ranean. The demanding topography has had an indelible
effect on almost every facet of Ligurian life. Farming is carried out on ingeniously terraced
cliff faces, and impossibly stacked fishing villages have long plundered the sea both to
make their livings and fill their menus.
Anchored beside the region's best natural harbour is noble Genoa. Known as La Superba
(the Superb One) to biased locals, it's a city that once ruled over one of the finest maritime
empires in medieval Europe. Spread on either side are the swanky resorts of the so-called
Italian Riviera, punctuated with pockets of timelessness, most notably the Portofino penin-
sula and the legendary Cinque Terre. Surprisingly, given its lack of obvious agricultural
land, Liguria is renowned for its food: anchovies, lemons, crunchy focaccia bread and an
earthy green sauce known to the world as pesto.
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