A palm-lined harbor, nice beach, and a friendly
ambience make Santa Margherita Ligure a fine place to settle down for
a few days of sun and relaxation.
Santa Margherita is much frequented by Milaneses, many
retired people from Milan have a winter residence here.
Life in Santa Margherita Ligure centers on its
palm-fringed waterfront, a pleasant string of marinas, docks for
pleasure and fishing boats, and pebbly beaches. Landlubbers congregate
in the cafes that spill out into the town's two seaside squares, Piazza
Martiri della Liberta and Piazza Vittorio Veneto.
The train stationof Santa Margherita Ligure is
on a hill above the waterfront, and a staircase in front of the entrance
will lead you down into the heart of town.
An Excursion to San
Fruttuoso Abbey- -Much of the Monte Portofino Promontory can be approached only on foot or by boat , making it a prime destination
for hikers. If you want to combine some excellent exercise with the pleasure
of glimpsing magnificent views of the sea through a lush forest, arm yourself
with a map from the tourist offices in Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure,
Portofino, or Rapallo and set out for Abbazia
di San Fruttuoso (tel. 0185-772-703).
You can also visit San Fruttuoso with one of the boats that run almost every hour during the summer months from
Camogli. A round-trip costs 8€ and takes about 30 minutes each
way. For more information, contact Golfo Paradiso (tel. 0185-772-091). Note: You can
also reach it by hourly (in summer) Tigullio boats (tel. 0185-284-670) from Portofino (20 min.; 8€),
Santa Margherita (35 min.; 12€), and Rapallo (50 min.; 13€).
By Train -- Between two and three coastal
trains per hour of the Trenitalia state train company connect Santa Margherita with Genoa (regional: 35 min.; high-speed: 25 min.), Camogli (5 min.), Rapallo (3 min.), and Monterosso (regional: 55 min.; high-speed: 40 min.) of the Cinque Terre, and further
South, La Spezia and Pisa.
By Bus -- There is at least one Tigullio (tel. 0185-288-834) bus an hour to Camogli (30-35 min.) and to Rapallo (10 min.), leaving from Piazza Vittorio
Veneto. Buses also ply the stunningly beautiful coast road to Portofino,
leaving every 20 minutes from the train station and Piazza Vittorio Veneto
(25 min.).
By Boat -- Tigullio ferries (tel. 0185-284-670) make hourly trips to Portofino (15 min.) and Rapallo (15 min.). In summer, there is a boat about
4 days a week to Vernazza in
the Cinque Terre. Hours of service vary considerably with season; the
schedules are posted on the docks at Piazza Martiri della Liberta.
By Car -- The fastest route into Santa
Margherita is the A12 Autostrada dei Fiori from Genoa or from
La Spezia from the South; the trip takes about half an hour from Genoa.
The Route S1 Aurelia along
the coast from Genoa is much slower but more scenic.
Festivals & Markets -- Santa Margherita
Ligure's winters are delightfully mild, making it a favorite destination
for retired milaneses winter residence, but even so, the town rushes to
usher in spring with a Festa di Primavera, held on moveable dates
in February.
Like the Sagra del Pesce in neighboring Camogli,
this festival also features food -- in this case fritters are prepared
on the beach and served around roaring bonfires.
Do not miss the fish market on Lungomare
Marconi; this colorful event transpires from 8am to 12:30pm, and on Fridays
Corso Matteotti, Santa Margherita Ligure major street for food shopping
when it is turned into an open-air food market.
