TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

If you're visiting Northern Italy, you're probably feeling overwhelmed by how different the north is from the stereotypical Italian image - instead of laid-back, relaxed, and convivial, as the stereotype goes for Italians, Northern Italians tend to be more high-powered, image-conscious, and even brusque. The North is the industrial and financial heart of Italy, after all, and so Northerners can seem more like New Yorkers than Romans. But if the fashion shows of Milan or the see-and-be-seen skiing scene of Turin are making you long for a little down-home comfort, consider visiting one of Italy's most unfortunately overlooked regions, one favored by wealthy Genovese and Milanese families as an ideal weekend retreat: Liguria.

Known for the way its leafy green mountains plunge sharply into the sparkling northwestern Mediterranean coast, Liguria is one of Italy's best-kept secrets. With distinctive brightly painted nineteenth-century houses and a great deal of palm trees, it's true that Liguria might look a bit more like Los Angeles than like Lombardy, but it's beautiful nonetheless. It's quiet, tranquil, and the sea is far cleaner than on other coasts like the Amalfi Coast. Visit the Cinque Terre - five seaside towns - for a famous hike through the mountains, or check out the famously chic towns of Santa Margherita di Liguria and Portofino - walk from one to the other; Portofino has no train - for an elegant seaside apertif. Also worthwhile is the charming Moneglia, an absolutely tiny town with stunning sea views - the coastal lagoon location makes the waves both safe to swim it but absolutely brilliant to watch as they crash over the rock barrier.

Ligurian food is also excellent. Try the famous pesto from nearby Genoa, Liguria's main city. Ligurian food tends to make great use of vegetables and herbs, considering the great mountain vegetation - a classic is the vegetable and potato tart seasoned with marjoram.