Tee-off in Liguria

#LIGURIA is renowned for its coast and mountain scenery, but it is also has 12 golf courses, including four 18-hole and four 9-hole courses. 

The jewels in the Liguria Riviera's crown are the 18-hole courses in Sanremo, Garlenda, Cogoleto, and Rapallo that allow guests to play on high-end courses while immersed in nature. The 9-hole courses of Castellaro, Albisola, Arenzano, and Lerici are also on the region's green hills near the beach. There are also driving ranges and putting greens in Genoa, Quarto Alto, and Sarzana.

Liguria's golf resorts and courses are part of The Green Parks initiative that aims to promote the opportunities for golf available in the area alongside the environmental, cultural, sports, and cuisine attractions.

A Liguria GolfPass is available to guests, allowing them to enjoy special promotional rates to play on six 18-hole and four 9-hole courses in the Ligurian Riviera and southern Piedmont. The GolfPass is available from www.liguriagolf.com and directly from golf courses from €150 for three greens and €250 for five greens.


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Get active in Liguria

A MAGAZINE-STYLE website has been launched to promote activity holidays in Liguria, Italy. www.beactiveliguria.it showcases routes and paths to explore by bike or foot. 

It provides information about excursions, route maps, specialized services, accommodation options, adventure associations, sports stores, and tips from local guides.

With hiking and cycling sections, the site has itineraries by the sea and in the mountains, as well as specific routes incorporating nature, culture, gastronomy, or family-friendly destinations. 

There are 65 must-see cycling routes and 178 hiking trails.

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Iconic Italian destination acts curb visitor numbers

A TICKETING system for a stretch of coastline in #Liguria, #Italy, is to be introduced this summer to limit the number of tourists walking the Cinque Terre trail.

There are plans to severely reduce the number of tourists visiting the #CinqueTerre UN world heritage area because the rugged coastal area risks being wrecked by coach parties and cruise ships.

Approximately 2.5 million tourists poured into the picturesque park in north-west Italy's Liguria region last year to visit the five small fishing villages, which are connected by narrow cliffside trails. Residents say day-trippers from cruise ships docking at nearby ports have overwhelmed their communities and the head of the Cinque Terre park said no more than 1.5 million visitors would be admitted this year.

‘We will certainly be criticized for this, but for us it is a question of survival,’ says Vittorio Alessandro, president of the Ente Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre.

Roads leading to the area are being fitted with devices to gauge the number of people heading to the villages and once a certain number has been reached, access will be closed.

Accessed by steep, winding roads, the Cinque Terre was once a remote backwater. But tourist numbers have risen sharply in recent years partly as a result of cruise companies adding more Italian destinations to their itineraries as other Mediterranean ports, such as Tunisia, lost their appeal following terrorist attacks.

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Italy’s Liguria region targets UK tourists

AN English-language website has been launched promoting the northern Italian region of Liguria. The Beyond the Riviera site showcases eight different perspectives on the destination, and follows a mobile app launched in May 2015. The aim of both platforms is to promote more of the region to UK visitors, attracting tourists to areas other than the beaches and Riviera towns that most people visit. 

The categories covered include agro food, arts and history, handicrafts, food and wine, hiking, and markets and festivals.

The website lists routes and destinations that can be researched through the app, allowing tourists to delve deeper into the region.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/liguria-beyond-the-riviera/id989825953?mt=8

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Genoa’s palaces open their doors

LIGURIA'S historic city of #Genoa is to offer visitors exclusive access to its palaces from with a special 'Rolli' weekend (September 18-20). The 42 palaces in Genoa's centre – which are collectively known as the #PalazzideiRolli – will have their doors opened over the weekend. A ‘Rolli' weekend in May this year attracted 100,000 visitors in four days.

Special first time openings include the 14th century Palazzo Nicola Grimaldi, a private property usually closed to the public. Also opening to the public for the first time is Villa Pallavicino “delle Peschiere”. Built – like many of the palaces, in the 16th century – the house is one of the better preserved examples of Genoese villas with highlights including its terraced garden, a typical Genoese black and white mosaic flooring known as 'risseu', and fresco cycles.

www.visitgenoa.it/en/evento/rolli-days-september-2015

www.visitgenoa.it

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Take the train to the sun!

HOLIDAYMAKERS can avoid the airport scrum during summer school breaks by taking the train to Europe's coastal resorts … rail strikes (in Britain and across the Channel) permitting. 

Loco2, a train travel search-and-booking engine, suggests these trains to the sun:

FRANCE: BRITTANY COAST – Take the Eurostar to Paris, then TGV direct to Quimper. Picnic and paddle on the fine white sands of Cap-Coz; discover the Celtic heart of Quimper; and older kids can learn to sail at nearby Bénodet. This part of Brittany lends itself to exploration by train, with regional TER services available inland to Auray or out to the coast of the Quiberon peninsula. 

Journey time* from eight hours, with an optional stop for lunch in Paris. From £63 one-way.

SPAIN: COSTA BRAVA – Travel by Eurostar to Lyon, and onward by double-decker TGV to Girona. Two new rail routes combine to make this a stress-free journey. A Eurostar from London goes direct to Lyon, avoiding changing trains in Paris. In Lyon, it's a same-station change to the train to Girona or onward to Barcelona, on board the new double-decker Euroduplex service. Bucket-and-spade fun at the white sands of Tamari and tiny yet perfect Sa Caleta, in the shadow of a medieval castle; make a splash at Aquabrava waterpark at Roses; and stroll the ancient walled city of Girona.

Journey time* from 10 hours, with time for lunch between trains in Lyon. From £86 one-way.

ITALY: LIGURIAN RIVIERA - The Eurostar to Paris, then the Thello night train to Milan, and finally a scenic InterCity ride to Sestri Levante. The fun of a night train, with sleeping cabins and a restaurant car, the views of the Ligurian coast from Genoa southwards. Play on the exquisite beaches around Sestri Levante; explore towns such as Portofino; and cycle the coastal greenway from Levanto to Framura.

Journey time* from 16 hours overnight. From £89.50 one-way, including four-berth couchette on the Thello night train.

*Journey times are calculated from London St. Pancras International, London.

loco2.com 

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Liguria leads Italy’s Blue Flag league

LIGURIA in north-west #Italy – otherwise known as the #ItalianRiviera – has the most Blue Flag beaches of any Italian region for the sixth year in a row.

The crescent shaped region between the French Riviera and Tuscany is dotted with sandy beaches, 23 of which have won the Blue Flag designation, three more than last year.

Blue Flag status is given to beaches with high standards of water quality, safety, and environmental education. New beach entries for Liguria this year are Taggia, located Liguria's very western edge near the French border, Borghetto Santo Spirito, to the west of Genoa, and Santa Margherita Ligure.

Other Blue Flag beaches on the region’s 200-miles coastline range from Finale Ligure in the west to Lerici Beach in the east.

www.blueflag.org

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They went, they saw, they spent

ITALY’S Liguria region welcomed more than 71 million tourists in 2014, and according to the region’s chambers of commerce, they spent a total €4.9 billion (£3.56 billion)

Sun and beaches attract many holidaymakers to Liguria, in north-west Italy, which once again is the Italian region with the highest number of Blue Flags awarded for eco-compatibility, good service, and sea water quality.

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Watch out for the whales

FAMILIES looking for alternative Easter holiday ideas can head to the shores of the Italian region of Liguria for whale-watching break. 

The protected coastline is one of the richest areas for marine life in the Mediterranean, with frequent sightings of fin, pilot, and sperm whales, as well turtles and dolphins. 

The Ligurian whale-watching season starts in April when tours depart from Genoa and other ports along the coast. 

The tours, which take four to five hours, are accompanied by biologists.

Tours cost £24 for adults and £13 for children.

www.whalewatchliguria.it
www.whalewatchgenova.it
www.turismoinliguria.it
www.whalewatchimperia.it


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