Tucked along the western edge of the Italian Riviera, just a few miles from the French border, Bordighera is one of Liguria’s most elegant and peaceful seaside towns. While its neighbors Sanremo and Ventimiglia attract more attention, Bordighera quietly charms visitors with palm-lined promenades, pastel villas, and a soft, Mediterranean light that once enchanted artists like Claude Monet. Monet spent the winter of 1884 in Bordighera and became captivated by the wildness of the vegetation—particularly the palms. He painted the town’s villas, gardens, and sea views relentlessly.
Bordighera
City: Bordighera
Region: Liguria
About the Region:
Liguria, the slender crescent of coastline stretching between the French border and Tuscany, is one of Italy’s most distinctive regions—an intoxicating blend of sea, mountains, and centuries-old traditions squeezed into a landscape where everything feels both dramatic and intimate. Known internationally for the postcard-perfect villages of the Cinque Terre, Liguria is far more varied than its most famous stretch: rugged cliffs plunge into turquoise water, terraced hillsides shimmer with olive groves and vineyards, and pastel towns cling improbably to sheer rock faces. The regional capital, Genoa, adds a completely different energy—a gritty, historic port city filled with medieval alleyways, noble palaces, and a maritime spirit that once powered an empire. Along the Riviera di Levante, elegant towns such as Portofino, Santa Margherita, and Camogli offer a refined, yacht-polished version of coastal life, while the western Riviera di Ponente leans toward a sunny, slower rhythm, with palm-lined promenades in Sanremo, Bordighera, and Alassio echoing a 19th-century resort heritage. Ligurian cuisine is simple but unforgettable, shaped by the land’s natural limitations: basil turned into fragrant pesto, chickpea flour baked into golden farinata, and focaccia ranging from salty and soft to the addictive cheese-filled Recco style. Inland, quiet medieval villages, chestnut forests, and green valleys provide an unexpected contrast to the glamorous coast, revealing a region that has always balanced seafaring with sturdy mountain life. In Liguria, the distances are short, but the experiences are layered—every bend in the road reveals another view, another village, another way the sea meets the mountains in a landscape that never stops surprising.