In the last three days I have visited three different towns on the Italian Riviera. Each very different, but all beautiful in their own unique way...
Deiva Marina
It is Wednesday and should be my day off, but instead today I am building collapsing sand castles with 3 year olds and jumping through waves with enthusiastic 7 and 8 year olds. It is not the seaside serenity that I might have encountered if I had been alone, but I I have decided to postpone my relaxing day off at the opportunity to explore a Riviera town: Deiva Marina. We have come here today to visit some friends of the family and spend the day away from the countryside (which is becoming ever-colder as the days go by). Claudia told me that the town at Deiva Marina is not very nice, but that the beach is beautiful. I agree with the first statement as we drive past old buildings lacking the usual rustic charm of Liguria. But as we spy the seaside I'm not sure whether I agree with the second. On first glance I see only a rough sea, pebbly beach and too many sunbeds and umbrellas cluttering the shore. But as the day goes by what I first disliked about the beach ends up being what I enjoy most; the waves provide endless fun for the kids, the pebbles are perfect to keep a 3 year old entertained (first we collect all the biggest pebbles we can find then we pretend they are food items whilst we play supermarkets) and all the sunbeds are full of Italians just enjoying the summer - and I can hardly complain about that!
Though I didn't find much physical beauty in Deiva Marina, we had a lovely day on the beach all the same.
Sestri Levanti
From simple Deiva Marina to lavish Sestri Levante... I had been wanting to visit this town after seeing it appear many a time on lists of places to go in the region, and so jumped at the chance to spend a few hours in Sestri whilst the family went to watch their dad play a tennis match. The first thing that struck me about Sestri was the number of vespas there were: lining the road all along the seafront, red, yellow, green, black, interspersed with palm trees and watched over by ostentatiously decorated 5* hotels and restaurants sitting smugly with their sea-views and delicious food. I followed the line of vespas along the seafront and then entered the back streets. Here there is a hustle of bikini-clad holidaymakers buying hand-crafted goods at the market, eating warm focaccia at one of the many panificios or else enjoying a creamy gelato and wandering in and out of shops. From the hustle of these little alleyways I find myself in the tranquility of the Baio di Silenzio (Bay of Silence). Here the water glistens, lapping gently on the sand, boats bob up and down not far in the distance and the only break in the serenity is the chiming of the church bells.
In Sestri there are the narrow streets, tall, red and yellow buildings, wrought-iron balconies and colourful window-shutters that are so typical of Liguria, all combined with a pinch of luxury. I eat spaghetti ai frutti del mare for dinner and then walk along the seafront watching the water change colour with the setting sun.
My only negative of Sestri is how busy it was, but nevertheless it is a beautiful town.
Varigotti
Varigotti is in the opposite direction to the other Riviera towns I had visited, going west towards France until you are almost at the end of Liguria. The town is so quiet that when I got off the bus I spent perhaps half an hour unsure as to whether I was actually in the right place. Yes, all the signs say Varigotti and so do all the postcards, but where is everybody? It turns out that, with no other tourists to lead me in the right direction, I had walked the complete wrong way away from the little town centre. Therefore all I had seen was a series of different beaches and a few restaurants. After walking all the way back to the bus stop I found a little alley and saw a gelateria and a foccaccieria. Walking down this quaint cobbled street, almost deserted but for me and my camera, I found all the charm and serenity I could have hoped for from Varigotti. At the end you come to the pier, and from there you see Varigotti for all it's beauty: calm sea, tranquil beaches and colourful buildings - and now I see all the people, relaxing on the shores.
My day in Varigotti was simple and serene, like the town itself. I ate ravioli ai gamberi then spent the day between the sand and the sea: perhaps the most calm, warm, clear sea I had ever encountered. Lying on my beach towel, the sun beating down, Ben Howard setting the background music: things don't get much better. Varigotti was the perfect escape from the loud, demanding life of an au pair.
