Liguria's most beautiful small towns are not the famous Cinque Terre. Here is the complete guide to what lies beyond them.
Plan my Italy trip →Liguria's finest small towns are not in the Cinque Terre — they are the medieval cliff-top town of Noli (the most intact walled Ligurian town on the coast), the Baroque Cervo (on its limestone cliff above Imperia), and Tellaro (the least-visited genuinely beautiful coastal village in Liguria, at the end of the Gulf of La Spezia). Here is the complete guide to the Ligurian Riviera beyond the obvious.
Tellaro (La Spezia province, at the south end of the Gulf of La Spezia): The most authentic and least-visited beautiful village on the Ligurian coast — a cluster of medieval fishing houses on a small headland 4km south of Lerici, at the end of a winding road that discourages casual visitors. The specific Tellaro qualities: the octopus legend (the village bell, according to Tellaro tradition, was rung by an octopus that had wrapped its tentacles around the rope to warn the fishermen of a Saracen pirate raid — a story documented in at least 3 Italian novels), the church of San Giorgio (on the cliff directly above the sea, one of the most dramatically positioned small churches in Italy), and the complete absence of souvenir shops, organized beach clubs, and tourist restaurants. The pebble beach below the village (accessible by a path from the road end) is clean and quiet. Access: bus from La Spezia (the 11 bus — 40 minutes, €1.80) or car from Lerici (10 minutes). Cervo (Imperia province — the Baroque cliff church): The most visually striking small town on the Ligurian Riviera di Ponente — the church of San Giovanni Battista (the "Corallini" church, 1686-1737, built by the Cervo coral fishermen from the Baroque funds they accumulated in the coral trade with the French and Spanish courts) sits on the limestone cliff edge with its convex Baroque facade visible from the coastal road 50m below and from the sea 500m out. The Cervo chamber music festival (Festival Internazionale di Musica da Camera, July-August — concerts in the church courtyard, on the limestone cliff above the sea, €25-40 tickets; one of the finest outdoor chamber music settings in Italy). Noli (Savona province — the most intact medieval Ligurian town): Noli was a medieval maritime Republic (one of the smallest but one of the most fiercely independent — a comune with its own fleet, its own trade routes, and its own Constitution dating to 1196) and preserves the specific physical heritage of its independent status: the medieval walls (partially intact, with four towers standing), the 11th-century Romanesque church of San Paragorio (outside the walls, the finest Romanesque church in the Savona province, with a specific Gothic throne from the 12th century), and the five medieval towers that stand in the village center (the three most intact are privately owned residential buildings — the specific medieval torre used as a family fortress still performing its function as a residence). Finalborgo (Savona province — the medieval borgho with the world-class climbing): The medieval walled town of Finalborgo (accessible from Finale Ligure, the coastal town 2km away) is the most architecturally complete medieval borgho in the Ligurian Riviera di Ponente — the Porta Testa gate (1463), the Via Nicotera arcaded street, and the Castel Govone ruins above the town are the specific heritage. The specific Finalborgo context that no guidebook adequately explains: the limestone walls of the Finale promontory above the coastal plain are one of the finest sport rock climbing areas in the world — approximately 1,500 documented climbing routes on the Finale limestone make Finale Ligure the primary European winter sport climbing destination, with climbers from across Europe spending weeks at the Finalborgo climbing hostels during October-April when the rock temperature is optimal.
The coral fishing tradition of the western Ligurian coast (the area between Albenga, Alassio, and Imperia, with Cervo as the specific center) was one of the most economically significant extractive industries in the 17th-18th century Mediterranean. The Cervo coral (Corallium rubrum — the red Mediterranean coral, distinct from the shallow-water reef corals of tropical seas) was harvested from depths of 30-200m in the waters between the Ligurian coast and Sardinia using the ingegno (a weighted cross-bar device that dragged along the coral reef, breaking the coral branches, which were then hauled to the surface). The specific market: the Cervo coral was the highest-quality European coral for the jewelry trade — the specific deep red color of the Ligurian variety was preferred over the paler Sicilian and Corsican coral for the court jewelry of the French, Spanish, and Italian aristocracy. The Cervo fishermen's collective wealth (the trade was organized through the compagnia system — shared ownership of boats and equipment, shared distribution of profit, shared risk) accumulated over the late 17th century to the point where the community could finance the construction of one of the most expensive Baroque churches in rural Liguria (the San Giovanni Battista church, the "Corallini" church — the Corallini being the coral fishermen — built 1686-1737 at a cost documented in the church's foundation records as equivalent to approximately 20 years of the entire village's income). The coral beds were depleted to near-exhaustion by the early 19th century — the Cervo coral fishing tradition ended approximately 1820. The church, built from the proceeds of a now-extinct ecological resource, remains the Cervo identity.
Twelve genuinely extraordinary Italian experiences outside the standard tourist circuit: (1) The Frasassi Caves (Genga, Marche): the largest cave complex open to the public in Italy — the Sala della Bora chamber (180m wide, 200m long, 100m high) is large enough to contain Milan's Duomo cathedral with room to spare. The 1.5km guided circuit (€15, 1h30) through the stalactite and stalagmite formations gives the most dramatic underground experience in Italy. Only 300,000 visitors per year vs 4 million at Pompeii. (2) The Trabocchi Coast (Chieti, Abruzzo): the Adriatic coast road between Francavilla al Mare and Vasto with the specific trabocchi — the wooden fishing platforms on stilts extending 20-30m over the sea, traditional Abruzzese fishing structures converted to seafront restaurants where you eat above the Adriatic water. The Via Verde dei Trabocchi (the 42km coastal cycling path connecting the trabocchi) is the finest Italian coastal cycling trail. (3) The Gole del Raganello (Civita, Calabria): the most spectacular canyon in the Pollino National Park — guided rafting and canyon hiking through a 600m-deep gorge accessible from the Arbëreshë village of Civita (see the Calabria small towns guide). (4) The Alberese horse riders (Grosseto, Tuscany): the Parco Regionale della Maremma cattle drive — the butteri (the Maremma cowboys, the only surviving cattle driver tradition in continental Europe) ride the Maremma coast marshes with the longhorn Maremmana cattle each Saturday morning. Organized observation from horseback is available through the park administration. (5) The Infiorata di Spello (Spello, Umbria — Corpus Christi, June): the streets of the Umbrian hill town of Spello are carpeted in flower petal patterns 15cm deep, covering the entire historic center — a flower carpet tradition (the infiorata) dating to the 18th century, in which the entire town community participates in the creation of designs that take 6-8 hours to complete and are then processed over by the Corpus Christi procession within 2 hours. The visual quality at dawn (before the procession), when the designs are complete and the streets undisturbed, is the finest single aesthetic event in Umbria. (6) The Sassi di Matera night walk (Matera, Basilicata): the Sassi viewed from the Murgia Timone viewpoint at 10pm, when the cave city is illuminated by its street lighting and the cave windows glow — the most extraordinary urban nightscape in Italy. Free, 15-minute drive from Matera center. (7) The Carnevale di Ivrea (Ivrea, Piedmont — January/February): the most violent carnival in Italy — the Battle of the Oranges (in which the entire town divides into teams and throws oranges at each other from carts and on foot for 3 days) commemorates a specific medieval rebellion against the local tyrant. 900,000 oranges are thrown annually. (8) The Cetara colatura di alici (Cetara, Campania): the oldest liquid fish sauce in continuous production in Europe — the colatura (the amber liquid pressed from anchovies salted in wooden barrels for 3-4 years, the direct descendant of the Roman garum) is produced only in Cetara (a village on the Amalfi Coast road between Salerno and Amalfi) and available directly from the Delfino store (Via Umberto I 39, €12-18 per 100ml bottle). (9) The Lago di Pilato (Sibillini Mountains, Marche/Umbria — 2-hour hike from Forca di Presta): the only naturally occurring lake in the central Apennines (2,270m altitude, surrounded by snow until July, inhabited by Chirocephalus marchesonii — a small crustacean found nowhere else in the world) — and according to medieval legend, where Pontius Pilate's body was thrown into the water, which is why the lake turns red at certain times of year (actually the Chirocephalus, which reddens in mating season). (10) The Notte delle Lanterne (Opi, Abruzzo — August): the Opi mountain village in the Gran Sasso National Park illuminates the entire medieval center with oil lanterns for one August evening — the oldest light festival in Italy (documented since the 17th century) and the most atmospheric mountain village event in the Apennines. (11) The Santuario di Oropa (Biella, Piedmont): the most visited Marian sanctuary in northern Italy — a complex of 19th-century Baroque basilica, medieval sanctuary, and Alpine landscape at 1,159m altitude in the Biella Prealps; the specific atmosphere of a high-altitude pilgrimage destination where Italian Alpine religious culture is most concentratedly visible. (12) The Stromboli volcano night cruise (Stromboli, Aeolian Islands): observing Stromboli's 15-minute eruption cycle from the sea at 10pm — lava bombs arcing over the crater visible from the boat. €30-40 from Stromboli port.
Twelve travel mistakes in Italy with specific solutions: (1) Booking hotels in the historic center of Florence in August: August in Florence is 38-40°C, very crowded, many restaurants closed (the Florentines leave for the coast). Stay in May-June or September-October. If you must go in August, book accommodation with air conditioning (not guaranteed in medieval palazzi — specifically ask) and schedule museums for morning. (2) Assuming Trenitalia is the only train option: Italo operates the high-speed network on the same routes (Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples) at comparable prices, often cheaper for advance booking. Check both ntv.it (Italo) and trenitalia.com before buying. (3) Renting a car for Rome, Florence, and Venice: cars are a liability in all three city centers — the ZTL (restricted traffic zones) fine will arrive 6-8 weeks later to your home address through the rental company's €40-80 administration fee plus the fine itself. Rent a car only for the rural Tuscany-Umbria-Basilicata portions of your trip. (4) Buying water from tourist restaurants near monuments: a 500ml water bottle at the Vatican costs €3-4. The same bottle at a supermarket (Conad, Carrefour, Esselunga) costs €0.20-0.30. Italy's tap water is excellent everywhere except parts of Sicily and some southern Italian rural systems. (5) Queuing for the Colosseum without pre-booking: the Colosseum in July-August has a queue of 2-3 hours for same-day tickets. Book on coopculture.it at least 3-7 days ahead; the 8am slot gives the morning light and the smallest crowd. (6) Confusing Chianti with Chianti Classico: the most expensive item on an Italian wine list labeled "Chianti" is not the same as a mid-range Chianti Classico. The Gallo Nero (Black Rooster) on the label is the indicator of the historic zone. (7) Using taxis when Uber Black exists: Uber Black operates in Rome, Milan, and Florence — the same comfort as a taxi, the same regulated price (Uber Black in Italy is not surge-priced and uses the same tariff as official taxis), with the booking confirmation and driver tracking that street hailing doesn't provide. (8) Eating at the restaurant with the English-language photo menu nearest the attraction: the proximity to monuments is perfectly correlated with price and inversely correlated with quality. Walk 10 minutes in any direction from the Colosseum/Piazza Navona/Duomo and prices drop by 40%; walk 15 minutes and you find the neighborhood restaurants where Romans/Florentines/Venetians actually eat. (9) Visiting Pompeii without water in July-August: the Pompeii site has minimal shade; the temperature on the basalt streets at midday in August is genuinely dangerous. Visit at 9am (the site opens at 9am; crowds arrive at 11am), carry 1.5 liters of water, wear a sun hat. (10) Thinking Venice is expensive for accommodation: Venice proper (the island) has accommodation at every price point, including well-run hostels (the Generator Venice on Giudecca, the Anda Venice — both accessible by vaporetto). The mainland (Mestre, 10 minutes by train) has hotel prices 50% lower. (11) Not validating train tickets on regional services: Trenitalia regional train tickets (the non-AV services that don't have a specific seat booking) must be validated in the platform machines before boarding — a €50 fine if the ticket inspector finds an unvalidated ticket, regardless of having paid. (12) Assuming Italian restaurants open for lunch from 12pm: most serious Italian restaurants open for lunch from 12:30pm and stop seating at 2:30pm; dinner from 7:30pm (not 6pm). Arriving at 6:30pm to "eat early" will find the restaurant closed. The few restaurants open at 6pm are serving tourists, not Italians.
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