Sea, sun, palm trees, flowers, and a world famous song contest. More than enough clues to know we must be in Liguria and on the region's Riviera di Ponente, the strip of coast which from Genoa stretches west all the way to the French border. A dramatically beautiful coastline of soaring rock faces, beaten by the waves; sunny little beaches, suitable for holiday makers of every age; and pretty fishing villages, characterized by their narrow lanes or caruggi, all of which lead, inevitably, to...

Over the centuries, Genoa has produced many of the world's greatest seafarers, but also one of Italy's finest singer-songwriters. Deeply tied to his home city, Fabrizio De Andrè wrote a great number of songs about its streets and the people who inhabited them, and it is in Via del Campo, after which one of De Andrè's most famous songs is named, that we commence our exploration of Genoa.

Via del Campo lies in the heart of the carruggi, a maze of narrow roads which, from the...

On leaving Nervi, the last residential district of the eastern zone of Genoa, the Italian Riviera of Levante and the enticing Paradiso Gulf begins. The picturesque villages which are scattered along the curvy coastline are connected by the ancient Roman "Aurelia" roadway as far as Camogli and Punta Chiappa, wedged into the sea beneath Mount Portofino; a nature park perched on the cliff's edge, directly above the crystal clear waters of the Ligurian Sea.

Bogliasco, with its...

Travelling back along the coastal road from Portofino to Santa Margherita, after approximately 3kms, one arrives at San Michele di Pagana. This charming little fishing village and beach of Prelo, is situated on the Punta Pagana; a lush green promontory of coastal pine trees and holm oaks, which is home to one of Liguria's rare examples of a Saracen tower not to have been incorporated in other buildings. More than worthy of a visit, the completely restored tower provides a fascinating...

Declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997, the area which comprises the towns of the Cinque Terre is a veritable oasis of nature characterised by vineyards and olive groves clinging to terraces carved into the steep hillside almost directly above the sea. One way to travel around this stunningly beautiful corner of Liguria is by train whilst, during the summer season, ferry boats provide regular connections between the towns (timetables are published on the Navigazione Golfo dei Poeti...