Santa Margherita Ligure

The waterfront in Santa Margherita as seen from the Hotel Continental

Santa Margherita Ligure is a wonderful old town on Italy's ligurian coast about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Genoa. It's relatively small, with a population of less than 12,000 people. The best thing about Santa Margherita to me is the fact that it isn't a tourist attraction. There is no fortress, no castle, and no Roman ruin.

Santa Margherita is just a wonderful little place to unwind while you observe how ordinary Italians live. There is a small beach, and a waterfront park with a statue of Christopher Columbus (dating from 1892). The buildings are mostly low-rise, older structures painted in the typical pastel shades of rose, pink and ochre.

There are tourist attractions nearby. From the harbor, you can take boat trips to Portofino or to the Cinque Terre. The train also goes to the Cinque Terre from Santa Margherita. Pisa, Lucca, and Genoa are all within an hour's drive.

But Santa Margherita is an ideal spot to walk the streets and people watch, sit in the sun and look out to sea, or just generally enjoy as vacation from your vacation.

 

Copyright 2001 Harry B. Rowe