Daily Weather: Liguria
Population: 1,571,783
Area: 5,420 km²
Provinces: Genoa, Imperia, La Spezia, Savona
Capital City: Genoa
Official web site: Liguria
Wikipedia: Liguria
Map: Liguria

About Liguria.

The region of Liguria, sometimes known as the Italian Riviera, stretches along the mediterranean from the tip of Tuscany to the French border. A stone's throw from Monte Carlo (if you are to the west of the region), many have chosen the less expensive life on the Italian side of the border but travel the half hour or so for the thrills of the casino! The coast is one of twists and turns, hills and valleys, sand and pebble beaches, rocky coves. The great thing about Liguria is that in addition to the seaside you have, within a few kilometres inland, delightful villages away from the hustle and bustle. And especially for those who drive from the UK it's just a day's drive away.

Due to very low birth rate, ageing population and a severe economic crisis in the '80s and '90s Liguria lost 200,000 inhabitants, but after the economic recovery of last '90s the region became to attract consistent fluxes of immigrants. As of 2006, the Italian national institute of statistics ISTAT estimated that 65,994 foreign-born immigrants live in Liguria, equal to 4.1% of the total regional population.

Genoa.

Genoa one of Europe's major ports and the birthplace of Columbus has ensured that Liguria has an international flavour. Italians have flocked to the seaside resorts for over a century and the architectural style is of the era, like neighbouring Monaco and Cannes. But foreigners, too, have been coming for a long time. Genoa is Italy's principal seaport and is located on the northwest coast of Italy in the region of Liguria, not far from the French border. By train in can be easily reached from Milan, Turin, La Spezia, Pisa, Rome and Nice in France. There is tourist information in the port area at Stazione Marittima, open seasonally. There are also branches in the train stations. Genoa like most Iyalian cities holds festivals. The historic regatta, one of Italy's most exciting, is held the first weekend in June every fourth year. Boatmen from the ancient maritime republics of Amalfi, Genova, Pisa, and Venezia compete (the festival rotates amongst these cities). There is a jazz festival in July. The statue "Christ of the Depths",underwater at the bay's entrance, is celebrated at the end of July with a Mass, the illumination of the reefs and a line of underwater torches to show the way to the statue.