Genoa and Gardens of the Italian Riviera

The glorious gardens established in the 19C by wealthy visitors to the Italian Riviera scarcely need an introduction - suffice to say that in April, their colours and fragrances make them a delight to visit. We visit both world-famous gardens such as the Villa Hanbury in La Mortola and enjoy special access to private gardens and collections.

The Romanesque churches, splendid palazzi and rich art collections of Genoa make this great seaport, rival and equal of Venice for centuries, a thoroughly rewarding destination for Italophiles who have yet to discover Liguria’s charms and as a highlight on our final evening, we attend a performance of Puccini’s opera ‘Turandot’ in Genoa’s renowned opera house, the Teatro Carlo Felice.

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY 1

D included

After meeting in the early afternoon at Genoa airport, we drive a short distance to visit our first garden at the Villa Faraggiana, one of the few examples of a baroque garden in Liguria and famous for its magnolias. Continuing by road west to Bordighera, we stay for the next four nights in an elegant Edwardian villa hotel, with a swimming pool, set in beautiful gardens high above the sea. A glass of dry Vermentino, a typical wine of the coast, introduces our first dinner of Ligurian specialities.

DAY 2

B, L, D included

The coastal autostrada whisks us west, close to the French border, for a morning visit to one of the most celebrated gardens on the Riviera, the Hanbury gardens. Begun in 1867 by Sir Thomas Hanbury and his botanist brother Daniel, the gardens are dramatically sited on a promontory sloping gently down to the sea and contain many rare plants. We drive up into the Ligurian hills for lunch in a small trattoria and explore the mediaeval village of Dolceacqua, then visit the private gardens of the Villa Piacenza Boccanegra. Originally dedicated to the cultivation of roses, the garden was later planted with exotic species from all over the world by the English heiress and botanist Ellen Willmott.

DAY 3

B, L, D included

Our first stop this morning is in the mediaeval village of Diano Castello, first fortified in the 10th century as defence against Saracen raids. High on the ridge above we enjoy splendid views over the Mediterranean and the Alps and admire the centuries–old olive groves on a short walk. We drop back down to the coast and visit the excellent Olive Oil Museum in Oneglia before a light tasting lunch – wines such as Pigato and Rossese and typical Ligurian dishes: Taggiasca olives, pasta with pesto (pesto is the archetypal Genovese sauce), focaccia and shrimps with garlic and pine nuts. We visit the private gardens of the Villa Grock, their charming eccentricity reflecting the character of their original owner, the world famous clown, Grock, and this evening stroll down to the mediaeval town centre for dinner.

DAY 4

B, L, D included

In Bordighera we have a private visit to the gardens where Monet painted a number of pictures in 1884 and see the extraordinary, completely untouched, atelier of Italy’s most famous Impressionist painter, Pompeo Mariani. We admire an amazing collection of cacti and succulents in the renowned private botanical gardens established by 4 generations of the Pallanca family before proceeding to San Remo to visit the onion-domed Russian church built by Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna in 1874 (the Russian colony in San Remo included Tchaikovsky, who composed ‘Eugene Onegin’ here). We walk along the palm tree-lined promenade and visit the Villa Nobel, Alfred Nobel’s home for many years and now a fascinating museum about the Nobel Prize Foundation.

DAY 5

B, L, D included

After a leisurely breakfast in the conservatory we set off to see a most unusual garden established for the Marquis Ignazio Pallavicini in the 1840s by Michele Canzio, then stage designer for Genova’s Teatro Carlo Felice – the garden is full of illusion and surprises, including follies inspired by Egypt, Turkey, China and ancient Rome. Reaching Genoa, described by Petrarch as “ a regal city leaning up against an Alpine hill”, we first visit the early 15C gardens of the Palazzo del Principe, established by Admiral Doria and still in the hands of the Doria family 500 years later. Just for fun, a reconstructed Genovese argos takes us across the harbour to lunch, then we walk via the superb Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral of San Lorenzo (consecrated in 1118) and the Doge’s apartments in the Palazzo Ducale to our 4 star hotel in the historic centre.

DAY 6

B, L, D included

We stroll along the Via Garibaldi, one of the most handsome streets in Europe, lined with 16C patrician palaces. We see the collections of the Palazzo Bianco, with particularly fine Flemish and Dutch paintings by Van Dyck and Rubens, as well as works by Filippino Lippi, Veronese and Caravaggio. After coffee in an historic café we visit the Palazzo Tursi to see the Guarneri violin which belonged to Genoa-born Paganini and 3 letters written by Chistopher Columbus, Genoa’s most famous son. In the afternoon we visit the dock area, recently renovated by the architect Renzo Piano, to see the collections of the new Museum of the Sea.

DAY 7

B, L, D included

We see the pictures and elegant furnishings of the Palazzo Reale, then visit the late 16C garden of the Villa Pallavicino with its grottoes, fountains and statuary. After lunch we explore the architectural monuments of the Piazza San Matteo, created in the 12C, with characteristic striped black and white facades. We see the church of San Matteo, founded in 1125 and decorated with frescoes and stuccoes in the 16C when it became the family church of the Dorias, then return to our hotel for some free time before the performance of Puccini’s opera ‘Turandot’ in the Teatro Carlo Felice and our farewell dinner in one of the city’s most innovative restaurants.

DAY 8

B included

A free morning to pursue individual interest - perhaps visiting the unusual Museum of Antarctic Exploration or the excellent Museum of Oriental Art - before an airport transfer concludes the holiday.

Price includes:

All accommodation for Days 1 through 8 on a double shared basis

All meals with wine at lunches and dinners, other than those excepted in the daily notation

An informal wine tasting as described

All land transportation in a private vehicle as described except during free periods

A boat trip in Genoa as described

All entrance and sightseeing fees except during free periods

A ticket for a concert (or opera) in Genoa

Gratuities for hotel and restaurant staff

Visa and Health Requirements

Visitors from the EU and the US currently require a valid passport, but not a visa, for entry to Italy. If you are a national of any other country, please check visa regulations with your nearest Embassy of Italy.

At present there are no specific and compulsory health requirements for entry to Italy. Residents of countries in the EU can only claim free (emergency) medical treatment in Italy by presenting their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is issued in the UK by the Department of Health. You may also wish to check the advice given to travellers by the FCO.

Insurance

It is essential, and a condition of booking, that you protect yourself with a suitable travel insurance policy as soon as you book a trip. Follow this link for a quote for a policy available to UK residents.

If you are already insured or a non-UK resident, please inform us of your policy at the time of booking.