Bordighera

Between English elegance and Ligurian tradition

The elegant charm of early 20th-century splendour combined with the mild climate, lush nature and crystal-clear sea of the Riviera dei Fiori. Between Sanremo and Ventimiglia, the last port of call for tourist ships before the French border, Bordighera is an unexpected jewel. In the last century, it enchanted noble visitors from across Europe, especially the English, who added unique British details, from refined villas to typical London streetlamps. The impressionist painter Claude Monet and Margaret of Savoy, the first queen of Italy, to whom a villa and an impressive statue are dedicated, also fell in love with Bordighera.

To experience the cultured and refined atmosphere of Bordighera, we recommend visiting the Clarence Bicknell Museum-Library, with its huge ficus specimens, Villa Garnier and Villa Etelinda, and the Pallanca Exotic Garden, home to Europe’s most diverse collection of succulents. This is counterbalanced by the upper town, featuring medieval alleyways and typically Ligurian low, colourful houses. On the way, you can admire the grandeur of the monumental trees.

Not forgetting the sea, with its long beaches, among the widest in Liguria. You can admire the sunset from the Lungomare Argentina promenade, inaugurated by Evita Peron in 1947, from the small church of Sant’Ampelio, with its rocks and crypt, or from the Marabutto, a former gunpowder store overlooking the marina. The sun setting towards the Côte d’Azur will take your breath away.