Santa Margherita Ligure
Santa Margherita Ligure was well known in the early 1900's as a fashionable retreat for the rich and glamorous. Today it is a peaceful, pretty town, better known for its food festivals and its lobsters that are caught daily by the local fishing boats. It has a palm-lined seaside promenade, where elegant hotels with Liberty facades overlook million-dollar yachts and bars, cafes, gelaterie and restaurants spread along the seafront. This is a pleasant, convenient base that is ideally situated for day trips, such as Portofino, the picturesque San Fruttuoso monastery, the resorts of Camogli and Rapallo, Genoa, and the Cinque Terre (about an hour away by train, or an all-day boat excursion).
Visit and explore the Basilica di Santa Margherita (Baroque designs, lavish gold leaf and crystal chandeliers), Piazza Martiri della Liberta, and Piazza Vittorio Veneto (two seaside squares to sit and watch the activities of the fishing boats), the low hill, and so much more.