Liguria is a paradise for foodies and for wine-loving travellers.
Visitors to the scenic coastal northern Italian region can choose from a variety of milieus, culinary activities and cultural highlights to savour to the full.

Coming from Tuscany, La Spezia is the first port of call-here visitors can enjoy a typical local soup of cereals and grains slow cooked in the famous local olive oil. Regional capital Genoa is the birthplace of the most famous pasta sauce ever: pesto. This exquisite concoction of pine nuts, basil, cheese and olive oil can be enjoyed in several trattorias and small restaurants in this vibrant city.

The small town of Recco in the province of Genoa, further West towards France, is the home of the cheese focaccia: rosemary, olive oil and local cheeses make this fluffy flat bread a delectable snack any time of day. The hilly hinterland of Varese Ligure, meanwhile, has been recently re-branded as organic valley: here visitors can visit organic agriturismos and dairies producing delicious local artisan cheeses but also offering cured meat and wine tasting sessions.

Wine aficionados can enjoy a variety of red and white qualities in Liguria: the astonishingly picturesque Cinque Terre district is the hotspot for viticulture and offers local wines such as Cinque Terre DOC and the rare Sciacchetrà, a fortified wine obtained from the best grapes of the Bosco Albarola and Vermentino varieties, let to brew on trellises in traditional wine cellars. Other DOC wines of the Ligurian riviera include the hearty Rossese and delicate rosé Ormeasco, available to taste in the best Enoteca wine bars in the region.