Riva Ligure and Santo Stefano al Mare

Here the sea and the beaches dotted with towers and fortalices still preserve the perfume and the old appeal of the small Ligurian fishing and seafaring villages. Sojourning localities highly recommended to lovers of sea vacations, the two towns offer the visitors also corners of remarkable artistic-historical interest.

Riva Ligure, in the neighborhood of the small port, is characterized by a look-out defense tower (a building with a square plan which dates back to the XVI century) and it has a parish church with Romanesque traits, known by the name of San Maurizio, now the sanctuary of the Madonna del Buon Consiglio (Our Lady of Good Counsel).

The parish church, instead, collects some sculptures by Anton Maria Maragliano. The palace of Marquis Carrega is today's seat of the City Hall.

Santo Stefano al Mare, already feud of Villaregia, is defended by a XVI century fortalice with an octagonal plan, as well as the nearby tower of the Aregai. At Marina degli Aregai, the well-equipped marina, the fans of pleasure boating can find a comfortable reception.

The parish church of the village is a great prestigious building, notwithstanding the eighteenth century restoration, for its ogival arches of the naves inside and light stone columns.On the hills, at the back of the sea, the extraordinary panoramic position of the rural villages of Castellaro (already feud of the Clavesana family), Pompeiana (name of Roman origin) and Terzorio (defended by a quadrangular tower of the XVI century, with its top cut off now), plunged in olive-tree groves and fragrant flowers cultivation (lavender, carnations, daisies, roses and chrysanthemums), have the appearance of busy ecological workshops. Starting from Castellaro it is worth to make an excursion to the sanctuary of the Madonna of Lampedusa, where the painting portraying the Madonna was the sail of the boat of a certain Andrea Anfosso in legendary escape from the island of Lampedusa.