Liguria, explored in full.

There is almost no flat ground, so the land is terraced wherever it can be, vines and olives and lemons stacked on dry-stone walls above the water. West of Genoa runs the Riviera di Ponente, gentler and warm, with the flower nurseries around San Remo and the long beaches of the Savona coast. East lies the wilder Riviera di Levante, where Portofino, Camogli and the five villages of the Cinque Terre cling to the cliffs.

The Ligurian character is reserved and quietly seafaring, shaped by centuries as a maritime republic. This is the home of pesto, pounded from Genoese basil with pine nuts and Parmigiano, of trofie and trenette, of focaccia eaten warm from the oven and the chickpea pancake known as farinata.

Come in late spring or early autumn, when the sea is still warm, the terraces are green and the coastal paths are clear of the summer crush.