Things to do in Santa Margherita Ligure
What are the best things to do in Santa Margherita? There are many actually. Santa Margherita Ligure is indeed a charming and picturesque Italian seaside town. It’s located in the Riviera Ligure of Levante and it’s a popular summer holiday destination. Its beauty, the crystal-clear sea water and the proximity to Portofino, are just a few reasons why you should absolutely visit it.
Here are the top things to do
in Santa Margherita Ligure!
A WALK ALONG THE PROMENADE
When you are in Santa Margherita you should take a walk along the beautiful beach promenade. You’ll encounter beaches, beautiful public gardens an the typical pastel-coloured houses. Take a break and have an ice-cream while sitting on a bench and admiring the sea.
VILLA DURAZZO
Spend some time relaxing in the beautiful garden of Villa Durazzo. Feel the scent of the blossoming jasmin while enjoyng the view over the small harbour. Villa Durazzo is also worth a visit: you will have a glimpse of how the ligurian aristocracy was spending the summer holidays in Santa Margherita Ligure.
THE CASTLE
This fortress dates back to 1550 A.D. and it was built to defend the village against Saracens incursions. It’s located at the foot of Villa Durazzo hill and it’s mostly used as a small exhibition center nowadays.
3 CHURCHES TOUR
Right in front of the Castle you will see the church of Capuchin Friars characterized by the typical black and white striped façade. A few meters after you will see another curch that is called St Erasmo church. You will find inside many ancient models of clippers ships. If you follow the stairway towards Villa Durazzo, you’ll reach the third church: St. Giacomo della Corte
FROM SANTA MARGHERITA TO PORTOFINO: A BEAUTIFUL WALK
A lovely 5 km promenade will take you from Santa Margherita to the world-famous VIP destination Portofino. This is absolutely one of the things to do in Santa Margherita as you’ll have the chance to take a peaceful walk next to the sea.
CERVARA
Following the road that connects Santa Margherita with Portofino you’ll see a beautiful church among the trees. This is the Cervara abbey, dedicated to Saint Girolamo and that is an ancient monastery. You can visit it and its amazing gardens the second and fourth Sundays of each month.
THE HIDDEN BEACHES OF PARAGGI AND NIASCA
Paraggi and Niasca are some of the most beautiful small beaches of this area. Paraggi has mostly private beaches, there’s only one that is actually free and it has beautiful golden sand. Niasca is a little bit hard to find as you can get there following some stairs that from the road go down to the sea. You can rent pedalos, canoes and sup there. It’s very beautiful especially in the morning.
A PATH ACROSS THE MOUNT PORTOFINO NATURAL PARK
The Natural Park was established in 1935. It houses one of the largest floristic concentrations in the Mediterranean area, a considerable variety of birds and invertebrates. You can walk over 80km of different paths reaching stunning destinations such as San Fruttuoso or ancient historical sites as the “Batterie”