Page 28 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Italian Riviera

26  INTRODUCING THE IT ALIAN RIVIER A

The Italian Riviera Coastline

The density of the population along the Italian Riviera’s coast
is due largely to the fact that, unlike the marshy shores The shores around Savona
of Tuscany, Liguria’s often rocky shores are eminently are generally low-lying. From
habitable and, historically, easy to defend. The beaches Albissola, Celle Ligure and
Varazze, pebbly and sandy
are often more pebbly than sandy, with pebbles at San beaches alternate as far as
Remo and Rapallo, for example, but sugar-fine sand at Arenzano, at the western edge
of the sprawling city of Genoa.
Alassio and Lerici. Many beaches show a Blue Flag and
have gorgeous, clear waters.
Key
Motorway
Major road
Minor road
River

Fiume Bormida

The coast is flattish around Bordighera
(vast fields of cultivated flowers lie nearby).
Beyond lies Capo Nero and the huge sheltered Varazze
bay of the Golfo di San Remo. Savona
Close to the French border the first stretch
of coast is steep and rocky, and includes the
remarkable Balzi Rossi. These famous cliffs
face the sea as far as Ventimiglia, where the Varigotti
rivers Roia and Nervia have carved out valleys. =
Pietra Ligure
Loano

Albenga
Riviera di Ponente
Alassio

Imperia
Ventimiglia
San Remo
Bordighera

Before reaching the sandy beaches of
Alassio, the coastal landscape alternates
between rocky stretches and shallow bays,
while inland lies the plain washed by the
River Centa. Coastal resorts follow in
succession – Albenga, Loano, Pietra Ligure
and Borgio Verezzi – as far as the cliffs of
Finale and Capo Noli.

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