Liguria's elegant Riviera del Ponente is an historic Italian holiday destination where, in centuries past, the European nobility and, in particular, the British, came to enjoy the area's mild climate and magnificent sun-kissed beaches.
The wealthy elite who assiduously frequented this coast during the 19th and 20th centuries, were largely responsible for the construction of the Riviera's wonderful liberty style villas and romantic sea front promenades. Sanremo with its Via degli Inglesi is the perfect example of how the area's anglosaxon residents influenced the appearance of the Riviera del Ponente. The Passeggiata dell'Imperatrice, the promenade named after Maria Alexandrovna, still has the palm trees donated to the town by the Russian Empress. More than a whiff of old world glamor lingers in the air filling the halls of the town's legendary casino, where new money now mixes with old. Sanremo hosts Italy's most famous song contest, a competition which each year, for some 50 years, has sealed the fate of the country's aspiring singer and songwriters. In the nearby town of Vallecrosia, there is a museum dedicated to the history of the festival together with a unique collection of records and other musical memorabilia.
This part of the Ligurian coast is known as the Riviera del Ponente, subdivided in the Riviera dei Fiori and the Riviera delle Palme. Just a few minutes on the Riviera dei Fiori are sufficient to understand how it gained the name of the Riviera of Flowers, the area being home to field upon field of green houses, where flowers for the whole of Italy and beyond are cultivated.
The Riviera's wonderfully mild climate lies behind the success of both Liguria's horticultural industry and the town of Bordighera's splendid Botanical Garden (the Giardino Esotico Pallanca), in which over three thousand species of plants, from every part of the world, grow. Bordighera's many aristocratic villas, immersed in lush coastal gardens, elegant Argentina Promenade, and exclusive bathing resorts, all testify to the town's long standing popularity with the European nobility and, in more recent times, with well heeled celebrities from the world over.
If the Riviera dei Fiori owes its name to the flowers growing in its greenhouses and blossoming in its gardens, the Riviera delle Palme is named after the exotic trees lining its seafront promenades, the finest example of which is at Finale Ligure, a town which boasts some 14 kilometers of seafront. Finale Ligure can claim ownership not only to the longest beach on the entire Riviera, but also to a spectacular display of incredibly high palm trees. The town is a popular destination with both beach lovers and water sports enthusiasts. Just minutes from the water's edge, the historic center of Finale Ligure is well worth a visit. Here you can see Gavone Castle, the ancient residence of the Marquis of Carretto, and the 14th century Convent of Santa Caterina, this latter now home to a fascinating Archaeological Museum.
Deciding which of the picturesque fishing villages of Spotorno, Noli and Bergeggi is the most beautiful is no easy task. Each of these tiny sea front towns has its own characteristic little lanes, and fabulous beaches which are especially popular with the younger generations and divers. The Islet of Bergeggi, a 43 meter high cone of rock situated directly opposite the beach, and its unique ecosystem, are a protected nature reserve.
