Landscapes and Literature in Liguria
Botanic gardens and villa gardens of the Italian Riviera on Liguria’s spectacular coast are the starting point of a journey that takes in Roman roads, medieval towns and a great Mediterranean Sea port, all against a backdrop of startling ultramarine. We’ll travel from the Ponente in the West to the Levante in the East, savouring the colours, the smells and the rich and varied history of this narrow, rocky strip of land where wild herbs carpet the steep slopes and early crops are coaxed out of the narrow hillside terraces by the mild climate, a combination that has made Liguria a paradise for plant lovers and given rise to a light and distinctively aromatic cuisine. At the region’s centre, Genoa “the Proud” offers a staggering array of treasures: palaces and city gardens filled with paintings and sculpture, and a labyrinth of streets where the past and present jostle for our attention. The bustle of the modern city soon fades as we move down the coast, taking to the waves to visit lonely promontories and to contemplate the picturesque bay where the poet Shelley spent the last months of his short life. Naturally we’ll also find time to read some poems, taste some wine, olive oil, and the renowned focaccia di Recco.
Your Tour Includes
- Scheduled return flights with British Airways (economy class) to Milan Linate.
- Transfers and excursions in Italy by private coach
- 3 dinners and 3 lunches
- Guided visits to monuments and museums listed in the programme
- Services of the lecturer and a tour manager
- Detailed programme and Study Notes
- All entrance fees, taxes, and gratuities for coach drivers and waiters
Gregory Dowling
Gregory Dowling is Associate Professor of North-American Language and Literature at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. His academic research has been focused on British and American literature, with a special interest in the Romantic poets and in 20th- and 21st-century poetry. He is also very interested in Italian culture and history, with a particular focus on Venice, where he has lived since 1981. He has published widely on British and American writers in Italy, from the Romantic age onwards. He is on the steering committee for a new museum devoted to Lord Byron due to open in Ravenna in 2023 and has helped to organize a number of conferences on Byron, in both Venice and Ravenna. He has translated numerous works from Italian and is the author of the sightseeing pages of the Time Out Guide to Venice and he has published six novels, the most recent of which are set in 18th-century Venice.
Jenny Condie
After graduating in History of Art and Italian at UCL, Jenny worked for some years on Macmillan Publishers’ The Dictionary of Art. She moved to Venice to bring up her family and gave in to a long-standing passion for gardens, publishing The Gardens of Venice and the Veneto in 2013. She has led numerous garden tours in Italy for Boxwood Travel and lectures on garden history to the School of International Education in Venice.
Itinerary
To use our NEW itinerary, simply click a day below and a detailed overview will appear.
Overview
Morning departure from London Heathrow to Nice airport. Travel by coach to La Mortola near Ventimiglia to visit the renowned botanic garden, Giardini Hanbury. Founded in 1867, the garden is one of the most beautiful of the Italian and French Riviera combined. Onward travel by coach to our 5-star Grand Hotel in Alassio.
Includes Dinner
Included Highlights
Overview
In the morning we depart on foot to visit the award-winning garden of Villa della Pergola, one of many villas built by the British in this small Riviera town. After lunch in Alassio, we set off on an archeological/naturalistic walk along the Roman road via Julia Augusta to Albenga. Here we visit the mediaeval historic centre of Albenga including the Museo Diocesano and the Battistero Paleocristiano. In the evening we enjoy an aperitif in Albenga and return by coach to Alassio, stopping in the pretty seaside village of Laigueglia for dinner en route.
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Overview
Bid farewell to Alassio after breakfast and travel by coach to Pegli, just outside Genoa, where we visit the Giardini Durazzo Pallavicini. Notable for its 19th-century park in the English romantic style, these theatrical gardens have been laid out in three ‘acts’ to dramatic effect. Continue by coach to Recco for lunch at a local Focacceria. In the afternoon, travel on to Camogli, where we will embark on a ferry around the promontory to visit the Abbazia di San Fruttuoso, spectacularly nestled in a small cove against a backdrop of the lush green Portofino Regional National Park. Founded by Greek monks in the 10th century and accessible only on foot or by boat to this day, the monastic complex has retained a wild and unspoilt beauty. In the late afternoon, continue to Santa Margherita Ligure and our four-star hotel, our base for the rest of the tour.
Includes Breakfast
Includes Dinner
Included Highlights
Overview
By coach to Genoa for a morning visit to the Renaissance Villa del Principe and its scenic Italian garden. Afterwards, we soak up the old-world charm of the caruggi, the atmospheric mediaeval alleyways of Genoa, and enjoy a lunch of mouthwatering Genoese specialties. In the afternoon, stroll along Via Garibaldi and visit two of the city’s magnificent palazzos. The first, 16th-century Palazzo Lomellino, is famed for its fantastical garden, most charmingly filled with fountains, grottos and statues designed by the sculptor Domenico Parodi. The second is Palazzo Bianco, which was built for the Grimaldi family in the 16th century but today boasts an impressive collection of European art, with treasures by the likes of Caravaggio, Van Dyck and Rubens. No trip to Genoa is complete without sampling the delights of one of the city’s historic confectionary shops and there will of course be time to do so before returning to Santa Margherita Ligure.
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Overview
Morning excursion to the 18th century Villa Marigola, another spectacularly situated villa with Italian-style gardens overlooking the sea. In this wonderful setting, Gregory Dowling will deliver a lecture on Byron and Shelley, both of whom were inspired by these magnificent surroundings. After lunch in Lerici, our afternoon visit will be to the Villa Rezzola at Pugliola di Lerici. Constructed on the remains of a mediaeval military site but progressively enlarged over the ensuing centuries, the villa enjoys sweeping views across the Gulf of Poets. Return to Santa Margherita Ligure, where the rest of the afternoon at leisure.
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Included Highlights
Overview
After breakfast we set out on foot to visit the Villa Durazzo. Built in 1678 as the summer residence of the Durazzo family, the villa’s apartments hold an interesting collection of artworks, furniture, Murano glass chandeliers and frescoes and trompe l’oeil. In the beautiful and aromatic gardens that surround the villa, stroll among the lemon trees and hydrangea, enjoying another fine sea view. Depart Santa Margherita Ligure for Ca du Ferrà, a vineyard and agriturismo near Bonassola where we are welcomed for a winetasting and light lunch, a fine way to round off our time together. Afterwards, continue to Pisa airport for an early evening flight to London Heathrow.
Includes Breakfast
Includes Lunch
Accommodation
You will be staying at the 5-star Grand Hotel Alassio in Alassio for 2 nights, and the 4-star Hotel Continental in Santa Margherita Ligure for 3 nights.