Luxury Italian Houses for sale in Liguria, Italy

Western Liguria
This corner of Liguria has all the advantages of being close to the French border. There are abundant sandy beaches overlooked by attractive 19th century architecture. The climate is exceptionally gentle, with flower-growing being a big local business, and flowers blooming even in February. Ventimiglia, Finale Ligure, Bordighera and Ospedaletti are venerable old resorts in this area, but the best known town is probably Sanremo – with its labyrinthine old lanes, casino, daily flower market and designer shopping bargains. Set on a large sheltered bay backed by an amphitheatre of hills, property prices in Sanremo are high but bargains can be picked up in the hilly hinterland dotted with picturesque villages.

Imperia to Genova
This stretch of Liguria’s coast is not as well known but has a string of family-oriented resorts on sandy beaches. Inland, the terrain of Liguria’s central western area quickly climbs to leafy heights, cut through with winding mountain roads and sprinkled with charming little hill towns and villages. As everywhere in the region, property prices drop as you move away from the coast.

East of Genova
The coastline is much steeper and rockier than in the west. Tiny cliff-bound coves sit at the feet of leafy slopes dotted with colourful villas. Visitors come in their hundreds of thousands to wander secluded inlets and steep footpaths, admiring the vivid blue and turquoise sea, the tall cliffs sprouting evergreens, the fruit-coloured houses and the white luxury yachts.

Portofino is a fishing village on the Italian Riviera coast. Pastel-colored houses, high-end boutiques and seafood restaurants fringe its Piazzetta, a small cobbled square overlooking the harbor, which is lined with super-yachts. A path leads from the Piazzetta to Castello Brown, a 16th-century fortress and museum with art exhibitions and panoramic views of the town and the Ligurian Sea.

La Spezia and the Cinque Terre
La Spezia is a pleasant enough place but its stunning neighbours are what draw the attention down to this part of Liguria. People come primarily for the Cinque Terre – five cliff-bound villages formerly accessible only by boat, where terraces have been carved into the near-vertical landscape to hold brightly-painted homes and endless grapevines. These five, much-sought-after locations offer superb rental returns.

Elsewhere in Liguria’s extreme east are beautiful Portovénere with its pink and yellow tower-houses staring serenely over the water, and swish Lérici with its castle, beaches and marina. Both towns are almost as popular as the Cinque Terre.

National Parks & Nature Reserves
The Cinque Terre National Park

This UNESCO world heritage site in the province of La Spezia covers all five Cinque Terre villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. There is a host of walking trails that link one village to the next. The route from Riomaggiore to Manarola is known as “Lover’s Lane” (Via dell’Amore) due to the particularly scenic nature of the coastline. The park also offers cycling and horse riding opportunities.

The Marine Protected Area of Portofino

The Marine Protected Area (Area Marina Protetta di Portofino) is an ecologically protected area which includes the municipalities of Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. The area is particularly good for sport fishing, diving, yachting and swimming, although there are strong sea currents in this area. There is a very rich and diverse fauna along this coast.

Riserva Naturale Regionale di Rio Torsero

This regional nature reserve close to Ceriale is famous amongst palaeontologists for the abundance and variety of its fossils. The reserve is home to a museum where these finds can be examined. Trails in the park include the 10 Km Ceriale to Poggio Grande route, taking in areas of natural beauty that are equally interesting from a historic point of view.