The reasons behind a legend

The Riviera dei Fiori is the western most part of Liguria, between Cervo and Ventimiglia, on the border with France, the Piedmont region and the Ligurian Sea. In the part furthest west, from Bordighera towards France, it is possible to see the Principality of Monaco, which is just 19 km beyond the border. A little further away, we find Nice, with France’s second largest airport. All these places are considered domestic. Just 37 km divide it from Piedmont.

The Riviera dei Fiori is protected by the Ligurian Alps and the Maritime Alps, with peaks rising to altitudes in excess of 3,000 metres. It is possible to go from the sea to the mountains in a very short space of time, enjoying the atmospheres and colours of two apparently distant landscapes.

Its particular geography creates an insurmountable obstacle for cold fronts arriving from the north-west, making the Riviera dei Fiori one of the mildest areas in Italy. Temperatures are pleasant all year round and never excessively humid, mitigated by the presence of the sea.

This is the good fortune of the Riviera dei Fiori: it’s a suntrap, with a bit of wind and warm temperatures.

The territory is dotted with valleys and steep slopes. History tells us that here man has had to come to terms with this geomorphology, using his inventive talents and making the most of the Ligurian landscape, which is now an alternation of Mediterranean scrub and dry-stone wall terraces planted with olive trees and vineyards. He has exploited every little nook and cranny of his territory, developing places with incredible and breathtaking views.

The coastal towns are squeezed between the sea, mountains and valleys. The inland villages, on the other hand, are mostly hidden behind sweeping bends and consist of houses built one on top of the other. The houses are linked by small connecting carruggi (streets), which played a protective role in the past against attack by pirates and Saracens from the sea.

A territory that offers amazing opportunities: 60 kilometres of alpine and marine landscapes unite, both in summer and winter. From the petroglyphs of the Valle delle Meraviglie to the ski slopes of the Riserva Bianca, from excursions to the Pelagos Sanctuary to admire the cetacean population, to the seabed of Capo Mortola and the Roman amphorae of San Lorenzo al Mare.

Historically, it is a border area, a trading and study area, where man has lived since the Palaeolithic age, as testified by one of the seven historical periods that can be visited nowhere else but Ventimiglia.

A small geographical area, the Riviera dei Fiori is aware of its great natural and historical-cultural heritage, a crossroads of cultures that will never disappoint you, just as it did not disappoint the great masters of history, including Monet!