Riviera di Ponente, Italy

There's more than one riviera on Italy's Ligurian coast. West of Genoa, the Riviera di Ponente blends beaches, mountains and fine food to mouthwatering effect, writes Rosie Whitehouse

- Rosie Whitehouse

Say “Italian Riviera” and most people’s eyes light up. East of Genoa, the rain-bow-coloured villages of Cinque Terre and bobbing superyachts of tiny Portof-ino are etched in travellers’ imaginations. But this is only half the story – the Riviera di Levante half. West of the Ligurian capital, skirting the coast for 150km to the French border, the Riviera di Ponente takes over, revealing beaches and wild mountain scenery every bit the equal of its sibling. And for those in the know, its mix of culture, outdoors and fine cuisine makes it irresistible.

Most visits begin in Genoa, the heart of Liguria. The city rises like an amphitheatre above the old port, surrounded by hills dotted with forts. The views across the Mediterranean from here are captivating, and it’s easy to see how the Ligurians became a seafaring people. Genoa even claims Christopher Columbus as its most famous son.

The city once lay at the heart of a powerful Maritime Republic. Genoa still has one of Europe’s largest and best-preserved medieval centres, which grew fat on the fortunes made from the early Crusades and the empire it built in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. As a result, today’s city museums and galleries are brimming with treasures.

By the late 19th century, the coast around Sanremo and Bordighera was the part of the Italian Riviera in which to be seen. European aristocracy spent their winters here and Sanremo is still full of elegant villas, among them the Villa Nobel where inventor Alfred Nobel (of “prize” fame) spent his final years. It is now a museum dedicated to his life.