Top 5 picturesque towns in the Italian Riviera off the beaten path

Italy is one of the most fascinating countries in the world, famous for its historical and cultural heritage and culinary diversity. Top cities like Venice, Rome or Florence are most travellers’ favourites but there are some areas off the beaten path that will blow your mind.

We have recently visited Liguria, a silver of land squeezed between impressive mountains and a turquoise sea, and we fell in love with it. Although Andre was born there, he re-discovered the beauty of his native region after living abroad for more than 10 years.

‘Cinque Terre’ may be the best-known place of the Italian Riviera for good reasons, but the less famous ‘Riviera dei Fiori’ in the west offers unique beauty and a much less crowded environment. Named after the well-established flower industry, you will find mainly locals busy with their daily routine and spot the occasional tourist snooping around from time to time.

Public transport is efficient for the coastal cities, but it can be time consuming if you plan to visit the towns inland. For this reason, we recommend renting a car or a scooter.

Tip: rent a car or a scooter to visit villages and towns in the Riviera dei Fiori for the best experience

We have visited many villages in the western part of the Italian Riviera and selected for you the top 6 picturesque towns you must visit.

Be spooked at the bewitched Triora

What appears a traditional Ligurian town at first sight, with its narrow streets called carrugi in the local dialect, Triora is a witchy business instead. The town has a witchy touch in every corner, making it intriguing and sometimes eerie.

Struck by famine in the 16^th century, the desperate residents blamed it on witchcraft and urged the priest to summon an inquisitor to solve the issue. We learnt at the ethnographic and witchcraft museum that around 30 women were seized and tortured and some even burned at the stake for allegedly being witches.  The museum is quite interesting despite it looking amateurish and contains documents from the trials and a reconstruction of the tortures. The entrance fee is only 2 euros, so go for it!

Getting there: Approaching from the bottom of Argentina valley, you will find Triora nested on top of the highest hill, dominating the other villages nearby. The road is sometimes narrow and with a high inclination, so be careful while driving to destination.

Challenge: attend the spooky Halloween party in Triora if you dare!

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Feel artistic in the ruins of Bussana Vecchia

Abandoned after a devastating earthquake that hit the Italian Riviera in 1887, Bussana Vecchia was left to ruins until the 1960s, when artists started to set up studios in the semi destroyed buildings. Now there is a lively community of artists and craftsmen working and living there and their presence transformed this former ghost town in a fascinating and vibrant village, full of colours and art at every corner!

There is no recommended path to visit this peculiar village, so we suggest following your heart. We walked up until we reached the big church, only the walls still standing, nowadays home to intriguing art exhibitions. We got lost a couple of times and each time uncovered a new piece of art or a beautiful view of the town or the Mediterranean Sea below.

Tip: The best way to visit Bussana Vecchia is to get lost in its narrow streets

Some of the artists living in Bussana Vecchia are considered by the local government as illegal occupiers because they never formally bought the damaged properties they currently live in. A petition named Save Bussana is up and running on change.org to support the artists’ struggle.

Getting there: Reaching the village by car is challenging as the road is sometimes so narrow that allows only one car to pass. We had to do some dangerous manoeuvres a couple of times, so drive carefully! There is virtually no parking in town, so don’t be afraid to leave the car on the side of the road at the village’s entrance. Locals do it all the times and never get fined!

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Feel independent in the Principality of Seborga

This typical Ligurian town, few kilometres from the renown coastal city of Bordighera, has in store a big surprise for you. You may think something is amiss when you see the checkpoint post at the town’s entrance or when reading that shops accepts euros other than luigini, the local currency.

Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong. The fact is that this former Roman settlement and templar stronghold (templar references are numerous in town) claims independence from Italy because the Kingdom of Sardinia, later to become Italy, never registered the sale agreement after buying the town in 1729. While legal disputes are still raging, the population elected a prince who rules a parallel council. The town has its own military, flag and mints its own currency: the Luigino!

Tip: get some Luigini but don’t exaggerate. They are valued 6 USD each and are valid within Seborga only!

You will love Seborga’s medieval atmosphere and decorated buildings. There aren’t major attractions to recommend, therefore you shouldn’t expect to stay in town for too long. We would advise you to plan to visit this town together with others nearby to save time.

Getting there: Take the highway exit to Bordighera and from there follow the signs to Seborga. Once there, you can find plenty of parking space at the end of the town.

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Be a castellan in Dolceacqua

This little medieval village in the Italian Riviera will take your breath away as it did to us.  The highlight of the village is the castle on a hill overlooking the river. The Doria castle, built in the 12^th century is partially collapsed but it still preserves the original medieval atmosphere. We explored it and we are sure you will love the panorama from the higher walls where in the past soldiers were looking for approaching foes.

Info: sometimes the castle hosts conferences or weddings and could be closed for the duration of the event. Check beforehand the timings with the tourism office at iat@dolceacqua.it

Don’t leave without admiring the old Romanic bridge that nowadays connects the old village with the modern part of it. Claude Monet called it ‘a jewel of lightness’ and painted it during his visit to the Riviera dei Fiori. 

We would recommend sitting in one of the many restaurants with a nice view on the old village and taste the locally produced red or white wine (Rossese and Vermentino) nibbling on local culinary delicacies.

Challenge: try the local spreadable cheese called ‘brusso’, for a spicy snack. The local ravioli ‘barbagiuai’ are filled with it!

Getting there: Driving up the Nervia valley next to Ventimiglia, you will easily identify Dolceacqua because of its castle and Romanic bridge. If you are driving there, we would recommend parking next to the church and football pitches on the other side of the river. Just look for the blue signs indicating P5 and P6 before the modern bridge. From there you can walk up to the castle through some beautiful carrugi (the typical Ligurian narrow streets).

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Be amazed by Dolcedo’s beauty

We discovered Dolcedo when we heard there was a “sagra” – a town fair popular in this part of the Italian Riviera. Even though we weren’t expecting much, we were instantly charmed by the baroque church, the colourful houses perched on the cliffs of the narrow river valley, and the beautiful medieval bridge built by the Knights of Malta.

Challenge: find the cross of the Knights of Malta on the bridge

Like in many villages in this part of the world, the best way to visit it is to get lost in its narrow streets and explore the beauty of each corner. Around lunch or dinner time you will be attracted by clutter of plates and cutleries and by the smell of local food being prepared. We couldn’t resist and stopped at a local osteria (tavern), with a veranda overlooking the medieval bridge and the river.

You shouldn’t rush in this place. Slow down, take your time and enjoy the atmosphere.

Getting there: If you drive to Dolcedo from Imperia, we would recommend taking the road that passes by the highway. It is wider than the others available, better maintained and offers a beautiful panorama overlooking the sea. Once you arrive in Dolcedo, turn left and cross the river, there is a small parking right there.

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