Furrowed with deep, narrow valleys at right angles to the
coast, Liguria had a maritime civilization before the Roman era.
The steep slopes of the inner valleys are dotted
with poor perched villages, watching over groves of chestnut or olive
trees and cultivated terraces.
The rocky indented coastline
has few fish to offer but has enjoyed heavy coastwise traffic since the time of
the Ligurians, facilitated by many small deep-water ports.
The Roman Empire gave
its present appearance to the country, with olive groves and vineyards, to which
have been added vegetables, fruit (melons and peaches) and flowers grown on an
industrial scale.
The Italian Riviera: the Riviera di Ponente (Western Riviera), west of Genoa, is
sunnier and more sheltered than the Riviera di Levante (Eastern Riviera), but
the latter has a more luxuriant vegetation. The chief towns are Imperia, Savona
and Genoa (shipyards, oil terminal and thermal power station) and La Spezia
(naval base, commercial port, thermal power station and the manufacturing of arms).
To the American and German tourists, the best known place of Liguria is perhaps
the Cinque Terre - "the Five Lands", five villages reachable only by
train or by boat. Don't miss a visit, and bring with you comfortable shoes, you
have to walk on narrow trails for several hours from one village to the other.
