Liguria Italy
Essential Facts and Info

Liguria Italy is that magical narrow strip of coastline stretching from the French border all the way to the top of Tuscany.

The area has been attracting travellers for centuries with its resorts and beautiful beaches, favoured by its balmy weather and turquoise waters. There are picturesque little fishing villages, small resort towns and historic port towns to admire and explore as well as the charming hillsides fragrant with the scent of lemon, olive and pine trees.

Liguria boasts some 340km of coastline which is known as the Italian Riviera and is characterised by both continuous line of long beaches as well as high cliffs and spectacular coves. Genova is the capital of Liguria and is one of Italy’s most historic places. The city has a glorious past as one of history’s great maritime powers (Christopher Columbus was born here too), and an ancient center of commerce. It is Genova that marks the Ligurian coastline into two distinct parts:

Riviera di Ponente (Shore of the Setting Sun) lies on the west between the French border and Genova. This stretch is more resort-oriented and is marked with succession of long sandy beaches. It starts from France with the so-called Riviera dei Fiori (Riviera of Flowers) taking its name from the extensive flower cultivation in this area. One of the best loved spots here is the town of Sanremo, famed as the Italy’s flower capital as well as for its music festival Festival della Canzone.

The Riviera di Ponente has many important historical centers to explore from the town of Albenga to Noli and Alassio on the Riviera delle Palme ( Riviera of Palms). On this part of the Liguria coast also lie the enchanting cities like Cervo, a medieval town dominated by its great Baroque church, and Bordighera, the most exotic town of the Riviera di Ponente.

The coastline that stretches from Gonova towards Tuscany is called Riviera di Levante (Shore of the Rising Sun) and its landscape is rockier with high cliffs hanging over the clear blue waters. Here you have the chance to discover the charm of many colourful fishing villages including the picturesque hamlets of Cinque Terre and small resorts, the likes of Lerici and Portovenere.

Just east of Genova, clinging to the shores of the Monte Portofino Promontory you will find four of the coast's most appealing towns situated within a few kilometres of one another: Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo, and the famous Portofino...

Liguria Italy Basic Facts

Details

Country

Italy

Flag of the Region

Location

Liguria is a coastal region in the north-west of Italy, very popular with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and local food specialities. Liguria is enclosed between the Ligurian sea and the Alps and the Apennines mountains:

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Capital

Genoa

Liguria Italy Provinces

Province of Imperia
Area: 1,156km²
Population: 220,217

Province of Savona
Area: 1,545km²
Population: 265,194

Province of Genova
Area: 1,838km²
Population: 884,945

Province of La Spezia
Area: 881km²
Population: 222,602

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Size

Liguria is the third smallest of all the Italian regions with total area of 5,420 km2
(2,092.7 sq mi)

Population
(2008-10-31)

Total - 1,614,924

Density - 298/km2
(771.7/sq mi)

Currency

EURO (€)
More about Italy Money and Banks

Language

Italian is the official language in Liguria, Italy

Holidays

Please see our National Holidays in Italy page for more information on holidays celebrated in Liguria. Most Banks, government offices, and stores will be closed during holidays.

Weather / Temperature

Winter Average of
6-11°C / 43-52°F
Summer Average of
25-28°C / 77-83°F
More about Liguria Weather

Time Zone

CET (Central European Time) - that is 1 hour ahead of UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) or 2 ahead during the CEST (Central European Summer Time)

If you are still confused, here is the current time in Italy :