Wandering Liguria: A Guide to the Region of Italy

Liguria is on the northwest coast of Italy, bounded by the country of France on the west, the Italian region of Piemone on the north, and Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany on the east.

• The Azure Sea of Liguria and its coastline with many famous places, like the Cinque Terre and Genoa
• Olive oil, the liquid gold that grows on the slopes near the sea.
• Flowers, which grow in greenhouses near the Autostrada along the Riviera di Ponente. Euroflora is a celebrations of this vast production the draws millions of visitors each year.

• Trenette al Pesto
• Focaccia
• Farinata, a flatbread made with garbanzo bean flour
• Octopus and Potatoes, Polpo con Patate
• Gallette, Italian Riviera sea biscuits

For a list of other dishes associated with Liguria and the Italian Riviera and links to how they're prepared, see the Ligurian Specialties

Riviera is Italian word for Coastline. There are two named rivieras in Liguria, the Riviera di Ponente covering the eastern part of Liguria, and the Riviera di Levante in the west. You can see them on our map of Liguria.

Liguria has a population of 1,557,533. It is the third smallest region of Italy. The map below shows it overlayed on a map of the states in the center of the US.

Genoa, which is also the name of the province Genoa is located within. At one time, almost all of Liguria was a former territor of the Republic of Genoa.

Here is a slice of life that touches on the recent culture of going everywhere in a car in a country that isn't built for cars not being driven: How to Find a Good Parking Spot in Liguria.