Liguria Green Travel Guide

Liguria is a Region with beautiful natural landscapes, where mountains meet the sea and you can experience amazing view: Riviera dei Fiori, Portofino, Cinque Terre, Portovenere...they are all places to be seen. Come to discover this colorful and tasty Region! Here are our green travel guides and the eco-friendly accommodations across this land:

Genoa

Imperia

La Spezia

Savona

Slow path itineraries to get lost in the nature

The Region is characterized by the presence of many Natural Parks and marine protected areas, perfect destinations for these who are looking for a green holiday. In the Cinque Terre National Park, about 7 thousand Kilometers of drywall, built starting from the year One Thousand, to make the land cultivable, are considered World heritage sites. You can thus walk trough vineyards next to the sea and get lost in the Macchia Mediterranea woods. There are other two natural reserves that you can visit in Liguria: Bergeggi Reserve, on a small island, covered by Macchia Mediterranea forest, home for Herring gulls, and Gallinara island, where you can admire roses and cornflowers. Along the coast there are some other marine protected areas, where some animal species, as anemones, red corals and sea sponges are protected. This is the perfect place to experience nature. 

A famous itinerary if you love going trekking, is the ancient “Alta via dei Monti Liguri”, about 440 Kilometers across the Appennino, from Ventimiglia, on the boarder with France, up to Ceparana, near Sarzana, on the boarder with Tuscany.

Cities and villages on the coast

Here are some places that  you cannot miss if you come to Liguria:

Portofino, small and colorful seafaring village, in a cove on the foot of a promontory in the east part of the region; Portovenere, at the end of the peninsula of La Spezia Gulf. The place is well known for its beautiful sea sides, with clear blue water; Finale, on the riviera Ligure di Ponente,  a city with many interesting architectures and well known by climbers, for its rocky walls near the sea; Riviera dei Fiori, that part of the coast that runs from Andora up to the boarder with France, well known for its beauty and where every year, in the city of Ventimiglia, the Flower Battles is organized, a colorful parade to celebrate the beginning of Spring.

Typical Taste

In this thin hilly strip of land, thanks to the terracing technique, agriculture is possible, Product are at the base of traditional food in Liguria.

The Riviera, especially in the area around Imperia, is covered by olive trees, for the production of olive taggiasche, from which a good olive oil DOP is extracted. You surely have already heard about Genovese Pesto, with its strong scent of basil. You should try Trofie al Pesto, a typical dish. From ancient popular tradition is the “Farinata di ceci”, made with chickpeas to be eaten with oil and pepper. Talking about sweets, Baci di Alassio are typical biscuits made with nuts and chocolate. They derive their name from the village of Alasso, where they have been made for the first time.

Where to sleep in Liguria: ecofriendly accommodations

In Liguria it is also possible to sleep in eco-friendly hotels. Here are some suggestions: 

Diano Green, Diano San Pietro, Imola. A B&B in an old country house, renovated respecting the landscape and the local traditions, using the sun energy and re-using local materials. It's the perfect place if you are looking for a relaxing holiday in the countryside, not far from the sea. 

B&B alla Casalta, Arcola, not far from the Poet's Gulf of La Spezia. The countryhouse is surrounded by 15,000 sqm of olive groves, from which comes a very good oil, has an orchard whose products (from strawberries to citrus fruits) can be enjoyed almost throughout the year and an organic vegetable garden.

Find out other ecofriendly accommodations in Liguria

If you are looking for other suggestion for your eco-friendly trip to LIguria, you can read the following articles:

Montalto, Italy, where even the donkeys walk the Zero Waste path

Liguria: in the other's eyes

Author: Anita Cason

Cover image: Liguria minimal sunset, ph. by Tiziano L.U. Caviglia via Flickr