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.