A lovely resort set in a small inlet on the meandering Ligurian coastline, Santa Margherita Ligure has palm trees, grand old hotels, villas with sumptuous gardens and terrific views of the waters of the Med - everything you could demand of an Italian Riviera town in fact. Lying some 35km south-east of Genoa, in the Tigullio area, it's a fun family town, with plenty of watersports out on the bay, and a lot cheaper to stay in than neighbouring Portofino or Rapallo. Pleasingly, the town still has a working fishing port, and hasn't been entirely swallowed by tourism.
Santa Margherita has a long history, dating back (probably) to the Roman town of Pescino, which was razed first by the Lombards in 641 and then the Saracens in the 1100s. In 1229 it became part of the Republic of Genoa, was raided by Venice in 1432, and by the Turks in 1549. It fell to Napoleon, then to Sardinia and in 1861 joined the new Kingdom of Italy. Peace at last, it has developed as a tourist town since the Second World War.
Sights include the Basilica of St Margaret of Antioch (1658), the Abbazia (abbey) della Cervara, the Villa Durazzo with 16th century castle and 17th century gardens, and the town Castle, built by Genoa in 1550 as defence against those Saracens.
To the left you'll find a selection of hotels, to get you in the mood
- see also our full listings of Santa Margherita Ligure hotels.
