Santa Margherita Ligure: A Gem of the Ligurian Coast
The town is also the birthplace of Gianni Berengo Gardin, one of the best-known contemporary photographers. See Santa Margherita Ligure on La mia Liguria
Santa Margherita Ligure, which Liguria's regional tourism agency calls the pearl of the Tigullio, has a historic center with its cathedral and its square paved in "risseu" stone, old churches and elegant shops. Friedrich Nietzsche said that he met Zarathustra here, and Gabriele D'Annunzio and Eleonora Duse fell in love here. See Santa Margherita Ligure on La mia Liguria
The town is also the birthplace of Gianni Berengo Gardin, one of the best-known contemporary photographers. See Santa Margherita Ligure on La mia Liguria
Villa Durazzo
Villa Durazzo has gardens and a building in the style of Galeazzo Alessi. In summer they host events by moonlight. See Santa Margherita Ligure on La mia Liguria
The villa, at Piazzale San Giacomo 3, is the seat of the town's Civico Museo delle Tradizioni Marinare (museum of seafaring traditions). The Comune describes it as a widespread museum that coincides with the town itself and its monuments. See the Museo del Mare
La Cervara
The abbey of La Cervara was founded in 1364 by the abbot Lanfranco di San Siro and Guido Scetten, archbishop of Genoa. Its terrace looks over a monumental Italian garden. See Santa Margherita Ligure on La mia Liguria
Red prawns and regattas
Santa Margherita is one of the capitals of the gambero rosso (red prawn). The small restaurants on the seafront serve it, supplied every day by the town's fishing boats. See Santa Margherita Ligure on La mia Liguria More on Ligurian cuisine
Many sailing regattas take place here, among them the Regate di Primavera with the Coppa Carlo Negri, a perpetual challenge trophy established by Beppe Croce in 1945. See Santa Margherita Ligure on La mia Liguria
Paraggi and the Valle dei Mulini
A bus connects the bay of Paraggi with Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. From Paraggi, the "Valle dei Mulini" (valley of the mills) trail follows a mule track past terraces, olive groves, chestnut woods and Mediterranean scrub, and you can stop at the restored Mulino del Gassetta in the Parco di Portofino. See Santa Margherita Ligure on La mia Liguria More on Portofino
By boat to Portofino and San Fruttuoso
The ferry pier is in the gardens of Piazza Martiri della Libertà on the seafront, about 700 meters from the train station, a 5 to 10 minute walk. See the pier on the ferry website
The Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio's line 1 links Rapallo, Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino and San Fruttuoso almost all year, with timetables that change with the season. Departure and return times for the day are given at the ticket office when you buy your ticket. With a ticket to San Fruttuoso bought in Rapallo or Santa Margherita Ligure you can also stop at Portofino. See the ferry line More on Portofino and the Gulf of Tigullio