Liguria

On the border with France is Liguria, one of the smallest Italian regions of the peninsula. The whole territory looks like a land composed of imposing mountains and rolling hills between the Ligurian Alps, the Ligurian Apennines and the Ligurian Sea. The latter represents an important tourist and commercial port.
The region presents a variety of ecosystems given by the rich natural beauty between land and sea. Liguria, in fact, offers high rocky and jagged coastlines on the east coast and an alternation of cliffs overlooking the sea and sandy beaches to the west. There are also small rivers that run along the region reaching the valleys. In addition, Liguria has a scenery composed of regional parks and nature reserves, some of them included among the areas to be protected as the Regional Natural Park of the Ligurian Alps. The woods of Liguria offer wide expanses of secular trees that represent an important naturalistic heritage for this land to discover places that tell the history, culture and traditions of this land of passage of ancient peoples coming from the sea.

Liguria offers a rich panorama of opportunities, different but united, which give great emotions to those who decide to spend their holidays in this region. It is a territory to visit all year round thanks to a deep historical-naturalistic value declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is impossible to get bored in a region that offers nature, mountains, sea, culture and social life. Liguria, in fact, offers several attractions of particular charm, a tourist destination for its natural and historical beauty. Among them the Riviera dei Fiori, Portofino, Cinque Terre and Porto Venere. Those who choose to spend their holidays with family, friends or couples will be fascinated by the atmosphere that this region offers.
For lovers of the sea, here you can find a small Eden of uncontaminated sea, rocks overhanging the sea, small sandy coves (e.g. Varigotti), a harmony of small and medium seaside resorts and ancient fishing villages with buildings perched on the coast that offer a unique and unforgettable landscape that attracts tourists from all over the world. Beaches and seabeds that deserve to be lived and remain, thus, among the best experiences ever made in life.
For those who prefer trekking activities, the Ligurian mountains are the most suitable destination to admire streams, lakes, woods, flora and fauna of the Riviera in search of typical scents of the Mediterranean maquis offered by the Ligurian hinterland.
There is no lack of events, popular festivals, events that attract tourists at any time of the year, such as, for example, the city of flowers in Sanremo, which hosts the Festival of Italian Song.

Ligurian cuisine is enhanced by local ingredients and products imported from different peoples that this land has hosted over the centuries and represents one of the best expressions of Mediterranean cuisine. Poor cuisine that includes products from the countryside, the mountains and the sea transformed into tasty, refined dishes that tell the story of this land. The Ligurian gastronomy, in fact, is characterized by some fundamental elements such as: wild herbs (sage, marjoram, thyme, etc.) and garden products such as onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, fruit, etc.. The land is also recognized for its olive groves and vineyards, which give excellent oils and wines. They produce farinaceous products such as focaccia, savoury pies and a wide range of dry and fresh pasta. Given the location, fish dishes such as ciuppin and stockfish buridda, both fish soups and stuffed and fried sardines, cannot be missed.
The famous pesto, a sauce made with basil, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic and extra virgin olive oil used to season first courses such as borage ravioli and trenette, is world-renowned. Among the meat dishes, the Ligurian cuisine offers the cima alla genovese, veal meat flavoured and stuffed with cheese and herbs, rabbit stewed with taggiasche olives, rosemary and pine nuts. To taste during the Easter period the Pasqualina cake made with herbs, eggs and cheese, the high and soft focaccia sprinkled with slices of onions and extra virgin olive oil and the chickpea flour cooked in the oven. Not less the sweets, macaroons, pandolce genovese and cubes or shortcrust biscuits.