Italy's Hidden Gems: The Coasts of Liguria & Tuscany

This coastal route: San Remo, Portofino, Nervi, Forte dei Marmi, and Viareggio, works as a cohesive, high-touch itinerary that blends authentic Italian life, Riviera glamour, cultural depth, and refined seaside living. It delivers layered experiences, not just pretty hotels.

San Remo is a real Italian town, slightly gritty, very local, where you can wander the old town, shop the open-air market, taste Ligurian specialties, bike the seafront, then return to the Belle Époque calm of the Royal Hotel Sanremo. The Nuvola floating treatment, coastal cycling, shopping at the luxury Mall Sanremo, and pesto-making class with the Mall’s restaurant chef are a memorable way to connect to this town.

A stop in Portofino is the “postcard” moment; staying in Nervi lets you experience local living, strolling the Parchi di Nervi, walking the cliffside Passeggiata Anita Garibaldi, and unwinding at Capitolo Riviera, where design and wellness rituals create a modern, intimate counterpoint to the Grande dame in San Remo.

Here, I especially love how easy it is to take a day-trip by train to Santa Margherita, Portofino, or Cinque Terre while being based somewhere calmer, better value, and genuinely Italian.

Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio add Tuscany, food, and culture. You are only 15 minutes from the walled city of Lucca, which always has some festival going on. In Forte dei Marmi, long sandy beaches, beach clubs, and Hotel Byron’s elevated but relaxed atmosphere give you a true dolce vita pause, made richer by the Carrara marble quarry visit and personal connection with the owner of both hotels.

Add a visit and tour of Puccini’s lakeside villa at Torre del Lago with a stay at Viareggio’s seafront Plaza e de Russie. The Michelin-starred dinner, which for me was the culinary high point of the trip, proves you can have opera, history, architecture, and serious dining without ever being far from the sea.

I’d recommend this region to travelers who’ve “done” Florence/Rome/Amalfi and are ready for something more nuanced; multi-gen families who want real resort comforts without giving up authenticity; food and wine lovers who will appreciate Ligurian cuisine, culture seekers drawn to Puccini, marble quarries, Ligurian villages, and Art Nouveau promenades. This region always has a festival going on throughout theundefinedyear..

Do not miss the Kneipp hydro-therapy foot and ankle jet/walk-through station at Capitolo Riviera boutique hotel. Or the Emotion Shower.

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