Rapallo, Santa Margherita Ligure and Zoagli
Most of our Levante houses are in and above Rapallo, a working town with a long seafront promenade, a small castle standing in the water and a cable car up to the Montallegro sanctuary. Santa Margherita is smarter, with ferries and buses on to Portofino. Zoagli, just east, is a small village on the cliffs. Genoa airport is around 40 minutes away.
Best for: Portofino boat trips and a proper town on the doorstep
Not for you if: You want a long sandy beach: here they are short, pebbly and mostly paid lidos.
Sestri Levante, Chiavari and the valleys behind (Lavagna, Casarza Ligure, Borzonasca)
Sestri Levante sits on a narrow neck of land between two bays, the Baia del Silenzio and the Baia delle Favole, both sandy. Chiavari has an old centre of arcaded streets and a good weekly market, and Lavagna has a long beach and a large marina. Casarza Ligure, Castiglione Chiavarese and Borzonasca are 15 to 40 minutes inland, among chestnut woods. Genoa airport is about 50 minutes away.
Best for: Families who want sand and a town with plenty of restaurants
Not for you if: You want to be on the beach without a drive: many houses here are inland in the hills.
Moneglia, Framura and Levanto
Moneglia is a small resort with a sandy beach and an old centre squeezed between two headlands. Framura is a scatter of hamlets on the hillside, with its station almost on the rocks. Levanto has one of the bigger sandy beaches on this coast, a surf break and the first train stop for the Cinque Terre, a few minutes away. Genoa airport is around an hour away.
Best for: A quieter beach base within easy reach of the Cinque Terre
Not for you if: You dislike narrow tunnels: the coast road from Sestri runs through single-lane tunnels with traffic lights.
The Cinque Terre and the Val di Vara (Corniglia, Pignone, Maissana)
We list very little in the five villages; Corniglia is the exception, and it sits high on a cliff above its station, reached by a long flight of steps or a shuttle bus. Most of the houses for this area are in Pignone and the Val di Vara, green farming valleys 20 to 40 minutes inland by winding road. The trains for the villages leave from Levanto and La Spezia.
Best for: Walkers who want the Cinque Terre paths close by
Not for you if: You picture a villa in Vernazza or Manarola: we have almost nothing in the villages themselves.
La Spezia, Lerici and the Magra estuary (Ameglia, Bocca di Magra, Follo)
La Spezia is a naval city, but trains run from here to all five Cinque Terre villages in under half an hour. Across the gulf, Lerici and San Terenzo have castles, sandy coves and summer boats to Portovenere. Ameglia and Bocca di Magra sit at the river mouth, under the Montemarcello headland. Pisa airport is around an hour away.
Best for: Cinque Terre trips by train, plus quieter beaches on the Gulf of Poets
Not for you if: You want a country setting near La Spezia: the city has houses in built-up streets.
The Golfo Paradiso (Camogli, Recco, Sori, Bogliasco)
Close to Genoa, this short stretch has small pebble beaches and towns built straight up from the water. Camogli has tall painted houses on its harbour and boats round to the abbey of San Fruttuoso, also a classic walk across the Portofino headland. Recco is known for focaccia col formaggio. Trains reach Genoa in under half an hour, and the airport is 30 to 40 minutes away.
Best for: Combining Genoa city visits with seaside evenings
Not for you if: You want space around you: these are tight, steep little towns with little parking.
