San Remo
Located just thirty miles from the French border, San Remo offers a wonderful slice of old-fashioned Riviera grandeur. It's high-rise free with luxury villas lined with palm trees, long expansive beaches with cabana filled beach clubs, and a large promenade along the Mediterranean. Beyond the manicured lawns and Belle Epoque hotels is a hidden old town with a maze of twisting lanes and covered alleyways that cascade down the Ligurian hillside. La Pigna, the Pinecone, is the oldest part of the city with gardens and a sanctuary.
Visit and explore the Madonna della Costa Sanctuary (on the hilltop above la Pigna with a beautiful cobblestone mosaic, dating from 1651, that leads the way to the sanctuary), the Gardens of Queen Elena (on top of the hill above La Pigna), the gardens of Villa Zirio, Villa Ormond, Villa Nobeland Palazzo Bellevue, and so much more.