Genoa, Portofino, Rapallo & Portovenere: The jewels of the Italian Riviera

This region is favoured by a year-round mild climate, pretty beaches and the dramatic Maritime and Ligurian Apennines, which plunge in sheer cliffs or slope gradually to the sea. It is an area of sudden contrasts, not merely between rocky shores and deep turquoise water, but between cosmopolitan resorts and isolated villages, bustling ports and quiet inlets. Genoa rises above the sea like a great theatre. Its tiers are elegant palazzi and its pit, a noisy, strong-smelling port. Portofino is a tiny waterfront village of extraordinary concentrated beauty and crammed with the yachts of the wealthy. The pleasures of the port are visual - the reflection of brightly painted houses in the clear water, the ragged edges of stone heights set against the brilliant blue sky. Rapallo is a family-style resort, with a large beach. Other attractions include the 17th Century Collegiate Church and the 16th Century castle jutting into the Rapallo harbour. Named after Venus, Portovenere is one of the most romantic villages on the Ligurian coast with its narrow streets lined with pastel-coloured houses.