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Photos of coastal towns along Italy's Ligurian Riviera.

Photo Gallery of Portovenere
Riviera Levante, Liguria, Italy.

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ITALIAN RIVIERA TOWNS PHOTO SET
Picture Gallery RT21 - Portovenere
Images of Portovenere to give a photographic tour of this Levante Riviera seaside town - just across the Gulf of Poets from Lerici and La Spezia.
The town known as "Portus Veneris" was already famous for its beauty in Roman times. The ancient nucleus developed around the modern-day promontory of San Pietro, where there was a temple dedicated to Venus Ericina, which is where the town's name derives from. A Byzantine stronghold in mediaeval times, it was destroyed by the Rotari in 643 AD but grew again over the next centuries thanks to the monastic movement, which involved the two islands of Palmaria and Tino. It was conceded by the Da Vezzano family in 1113 to the Genoese, who developed the military and marine potential of the town by building the characteristic row of fort-houses along the coast, the walls, the three towers, the town gate and, between 1118 and 1130, the church of San Lorenzo, which was the work of the Antelami master builders.


HOLIDAYS visiting Portovenere

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Portovenere - Photo Gallery 01 Gallery 02 Gallery 03

 Xtrallusion photo gallery of Italy. Photos, pictures, images and photographs of the Italian Rivieras, the Italian Lakes, the Italian Alps, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast and some of the most beautiful corners of Italy. Plus photos of Italian cities such as Pisa, Milan, Genoa and Rome.

 Xtrallusion photo gallery of Italy. Photos, pictures, images and photographs of the Italian Rivieras, the Italian Lakes, the Italian Alps, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast and some of the most beautiful corners of Italy. Plus photos of Italian cities such as Pisa, Milan, Genoa and Rome.

 Xtrallusion photo gallery of Italy. Photos, pictures, images and photographs of the Italian Rivieras, the Italian Lakes, the Italian Alps, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast and some of the most beautiful corners of Italy. Plus photos of Italian cities such as Pisa, Milan, Genoa and Rome.

 Xtrallusion photo gallery of Italy. Photos, pictures, images and photographs of the Italian Rivieras, the Italian Lakes, the Italian Alps, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast and some of the most beautiful corners of Italy. Plus photos of Italian cities such as Pisa, Milan, Genoa and Rome.

 Xtrallusion photo gallery of Italy. Photos, pictures, images and photographs of the Italian Rivieras, the Italian Lakes, the Italian Alps, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast and some of the most beautiful corners of Italy. Plus photos of Italian cities such as Pisa, Milan, Genoa and Rome.

 Xtrallusion photo gallery of Italy. Photos, pictures, images and photographs of the Italian Rivieras, the Italian Lakes, the Italian Alps, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast and some of the most beautiful corners of Italy. Plus photos of Italian cities such as Pisa, Milan, Genoa and Rome.

 Xtrallusion photo gallery of Italy. Photos, pictures, images and photographs of the Italian Rivieras, the Italian Lakes, the Italian Alps, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast and some of the most beautiful corners of Italy. Plus photos of Italian cities such as Pisa, Milan, Genoa and Rome.

 Xtrallusion photo gallery of Italy. Photos, pictures, images and photographs of the Italian Rivieras, the Italian Lakes, the Italian Alps, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast and some of the most beautiful corners of Italy. Plus photos of Italian cities such as Pisa, Milan, Genoa and Rome.

 Xtrallusion photo gallery of Italy. Photos, pictures, images and photographs of the Italian Rivieras, the Italian Lakes, the Italian Alps, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast and some of the most beautiful corners of Italy. Plus photos of Italian cities such as Pisa, Milan, Genoa and Rome.

 Xtrallusion photo gallery of Italy. Photos, pictures, images and photographs of the Italian Rivieras, the Italian Lakes, the Italian Alps, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast and some of the most beautiful corners of Italy. Plus photos of Italian cities such as Pisa, Milan, Genoa and Rome.
Portovenere - Photo Gallery 01 Gallery 02 Gallery 03
Adding new photographs of Liguria, the Italian Rivieras and Italy every month.
Portovenere, Province of GENOVA

Portovenere was an unconquerable bastion of the Republic of Genoa during the long war against Pisa: the characteristic church of San Pietro on the clifftop was built by the Genoese in 1256, as a token of gratitude for the decisive contribution of the local inhabitants in the conquest of Lerici. The "upper castle" was built by the Byzantines and resisted two Pisan sieges in 1165 and 1198; it was demolished in the fifteenth century to make room for the fortress, which was constructed in a number of phases until 1751. It is today open to visitors and used as an exhibition space for shows and cultural events.

A road leading out of Portovenere takes you up the steep hillside towards the Cinque Terre through the Mediterranean maquis. You can also reach the Muzzerone free-climbing area from here. A boat service takes visitors to the island of Palmaria, which is a regional park: protected from building speculation, it offers tourists beaches, cliffs, natural vegetation and grottoes that can only be reached by boat. The "grotta dei colombi" was a prehistoric dwelling.

The island of Tino lies beyond Palmaria: it is a military zone and is only open to visitors once a year on the occasion of the feast of San Venerio, the hermit who lived on the island in the tenth century.

Le Grazie is a coastal town set in a charming inlet in the Gulf of La Spezia; it developed around the old Roman Villa del Varignano, whose sizeable ruins can today be visited.

The unique landscape, the leisure port, the beach facilities and the opportunities to go diving off the coastal rocks in front of the town and on the islands all make Portovenere one of the most famous international tourist resorts. The restaurants are famous for their refined fish and seafood dishes (particularly the mussels that are cultivated in the local seafood farms), which are accompanied by the superior wine of the Cinque Terre.

Note: The above is an extract taken from the official web-site of the Regione Ligure, Agriculture and tourism department - Tourist section.
Travel Hint: Travelling along the Italian Riviera to visit Liguria's coastal towns and cities is recommended by train - they are frequent, comfortable and generally on time. They also take you into the resort centres and give you an additional perspective and 'flavour' of Italian life. The car by contrast is not quite as practical and ideal as first appears. There are basically two roads along the Riviera, the 'autostrada' and the 'Aurelia'. Italian 'autostrada' can be fairly stressed environments and the coastal road (via Aurelia) is pretty in parts but very slow, passing through every little seaside town. Additionally, parking in most Ligurian coastal towns is not in abundance and can take much longer to find a space than ever imagined - during most of the year, not just in summer. With car-hire, petrol, motorway tolls and parking charges, the car soon becomes an expensive and less than ideal way of getting around - and more often than not, slower overall than the journey by train.
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Prestigious properties amongst the olives on the Italian Riviera - with terraces, gardens and pool.


Italian Riviera Homes
Specialising in beautiful conversions of prominent old 'borghi' into luxury properties set in their own grounds of vines, fruit and olive trees. Finished properties are the result of a crafted restoration of all genuine and authentic characteristics. Unique opportunities in one of the Riviera's more sought after locations.


Click the photo advert on the left for details.


Adventure, activity and walking holidays in Italy on the Italian Rivieras. Independent, escorted and self guided walking holidays in Liguria, Italy - plus paragliding, 4x4 and skiing holidays. Come and discover the undiscovered and allow yourself to be charmed by Italy's beautiful Ligurian Rivieras. Visit and explore mountains, mediterranean rivieras and one of Italy's lesser known regions - on foot, by 4x4, with paraglider or on skis.
Enjoy relaxed, independent walking holidays in Italy along the Italian Rivieras using self-guided itineraries. Explore the beautiful mediterranean countryside and coastal mountains by foot taking in some of the regions most famous and magnificent towns and coast - the Cinque Terre, Portofino, Genova (Genoa), Santa Margherita, Rapallo, San Fruttuoso, Camogli, Chiavari, Sestri Levante, Vernazza, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Monterosso al Mare, Corniglia, Portovenere, Savona, Spotorno, Noli, Finale, Alassio, Imperia, San Remo and it's national parks to name but a few.
Whatever you look for in the great outdoors, the region of Liguria in northern Italy, is a paradise for independent walking, hiking, mountain walking, coastal walking, and simply exploring the regions characteristic seaside towns and fishing villages - in spring, summer, autumn and winter. Liguria, an intense flavour of Italy in one of Europe's most unique 'sea and mountain' locations.

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Holidays & Adventures in Italy and on the Italian Rivieras
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