Discovering the Lovely Province of Liguria

If you're planning a holiday to Italy, villas in the Liguria region make the perfect base from which to explore the beaches, pop over to France, and visit other Italian areas such as Piedmont and Tuscany to the south. If you're looking for a place that has it all, Liguria offers the very best of Italy. Villas dotted around the region will afford you access to the rich heritage and allow you the freedom and independence to mingle with the locals and get lost in the winding streets of its many lovely towns and cities.

While in Liguria you should spend a day exploring Genoa, Cinque Terre and Castelbianco.

Genoa

Genoa is the capital city of the Ligurian region of Italy. Villas nearby make it simple to get into the city and explore what is known as "The proud city" in all its glory. With such a dense history, it's no surprise part of the Old Town has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But in addition to having a rich history, Genoa is a thoroughly modern city, boasting the largest seaport in Europe.

The city’s cemetery dates it back to around the 4th century BC; it grew in strength until the 17th century, after which it went into brief decline. In the 19th and 20th centuries, however, Genoa re-established its role as a major player. For a wander through history, pay a visit to the Old Town and follow the ruins of the walls to the San Lorenzo Cathedral, which was built around the 5th or 6th century AD. You can also visit the seaside district of Boccadessa, the Doge’s Palace and the ancient cemetery.

Cinque Terre

Made up of a group of five towns on the coast of this northern province of Italy, villas in or around the small towns are amongst the most sought after in the country. The "Five Lands", comprising the coastal towns of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area is spectacular in the way the houses appear so precariously perched on the cliffs, and for its lack of commercial development. You can take a ferry to all the towns except Corniglia, but the best way to see them is to walk the trail that connects them. It may take some time, but it is well worth the effort.

Castelbianco

Aside from the obvious coastal charms, the province has a wonderful interior. In this lovely part of Italy, villas in the mountainous regions offer a perfect base to explore the many natural delights of the landscape. One lovely town in the region is Castelbianco; not far from the coast, this medieval hillside town dates back to the 1200s. Over time, the residents abandoned the town and by the 1950s it was all but deserted. However, in the 1980s a group of architects decided to restore the village using the most original and authentic materials available; the resulting town is a charming rebuild of a traditional ancient Italian mountain village, which gives the illusion of being frozen in time.

Jonathan Magoni is Senior Manager of Cottages to Castles, a family owned company specialising in high quality holiday villas, apartments and cottages in Italy. For a spectacular visit to Italy, villas make for the perfect base. For villas in Tuscany, Sicily, the Italian lakes, ski resorts or city centres, we offer only the very best. Discover Italy at your own pace and without time restrictions in our hand picked villas and cottages.