Savona and the Ponente coast: hiking and swimming in Liguria

We’re off for an autumn weekend with the family on the Riviera di Ponente, on the Ligurian coast between Savona and Finale Ligure, to enjoy the sea air, swimming, a lovely walk on the balcony, and the narrow streets typical of Italian cities.
In this month of November, as we can’t leave for more than 2 days, we often go to Italy for a change of scenery: Turin, Milan… The Italians don’t go on holiday and don’t have the same public holidays as we do. It’s the perfect way to get away from the crowds!

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A family stroll around Savona

During our visit to Savona on a Sunday, we discovered this Italian port town full of charm and surprises. We left Briançon very early in the morning at around 6am and arrived in Savona at 10.30am, crossing the small roads of Piedmont again along the Langhe as a family, and finally arriving on the Italian side of Liguria, which is called the cote di ponente in this area.

Forteresse de Priamar

Notre journée a commencé par l’exploration de la forteresse de Priamar, un monument imposant du XVIe siècle.
Mini Voyageur a apprécié les remparts, les passages “secrets” et les vues panoramiques sur la mer. Cependant, les vues sur la mer sont quand même bien gâchées par les zones industrielles, situées juste en dessous de la forteresse. Ce site, chargé d’histoire, abrite également des musées et des expositions. Nous n’avons toutefois pas visité les musées, mon chéri et Mini Voyageur voulant simplement flâner en ville !
Infos : durée de visite : 1h sans les musées – gratuit – une visite guidée existe permet visiter les souterrains, cela peut-être sympa pour motiver des ados !

Priamar Fortress

Our day began with an exploration of Priamar Fortress, an imposing 16th-century monument.
Mini Voyageur enjoyed the ramparts, the ‘secret’ passages and the panoramic sea views. However, the views of the sea are marred by the industrial zones located just below the fortress. This site, steeped in history, also houses museums and exhibitions. However, we didn’t visit the museums, as my darling and Mini Voyageur simply wanted to stroll around the city!
Information: duration of visit: 1 hour without the museums – free – there is a guided tour of the underground passages, which might be a good way of motivating teenagers!

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Savona’s historic centre

After the fortress, we strolled through Savona’s historic centre, where we admired the impressive Cathedral of the Assumption. Not far from there, we spotted the Leon Pancaldo tower, emblematic of the city and witness to its rich maritime past.

For a well-deserved break, we headed for the Sandro Pertini public garden, a green space perfect for picnicking in the open air and letting the children enjoy the play areas.

Temporary Lego exhibition by fanbricks

How do you keep a teenage Lego fan happy? Stumble across an exhibition of fanbricks, Lego enthusiasts who exhibit their creations!

Looking around the harbour

As is often the case these days, I found the little port charming, even if a huge Costa liner stood out a little in the background! However, I wouldn’t recommend the bars and restaurants in the area, as they are 1.5 times more expensive than in the town centre!

>> Just next door : Cinq Terres en famille

Ponente Coast : Finale Ligure, Varigotti, pilgrim trails and Noli

Finale Ligure: our base

After our visit to Savona, we headed for Finale Ligure in the late afternoon. We started by enjoying the sandy beach before strolling through the medieval quarter of Finalborgo and then enjoying a nice pizzeria. The cobbled streets and colourful facades give this place a unique atmosphere at night.
Next time, we’ll visit the Castel Gavone fortress, which overlooks the seaside resort.

Our favourite address: the Pizzeria: €45 for 3 for an aperitif, pizzas and desserts! Unbeatable, and all very simple and very good!

Balcony hike on the Sentiero dei Pellegrini from Varigotti to Noli

At 9.30am the next morning, we discovered the magnificent Sentiero dei Pellegrini with our teenager Mini Voyageur, a spectacular balcony walk from Varigotti to Noli. Starting from the Varigotti car parks (which are free at this time of year), we tackled a steady climb of around 20 minutes up stone steps that bear silent witness to the pilgrims of yesteryear. This first ascent, although a little steep for my taste for a start, posed no problem for our Mini Voyageur, who is used to hiking. Warning: I think it’s more difficult on the way down, as the stones are quite slippery.

You’d almost think you were hiking in the Calanques de Marseille or the Estérel in France.

The 5km route took us around 2? hours, with plenty of photo breaks as we were dazzled by the panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea, particularly the majestic Cap Noli.

We stopped off in front of the church of San Lorenzo and then made a diversion to reach the Grotte dei Falsari, which offers a breathtaking view of the sea. Be careful on this route, as you descend and then ascend via a dirt track that has been badly eroded by summer overcrowding.

Moderately difficult, our Mini Voyageur (13 years old) enjoyed this walk, despite his Achilles tendon problems. He particularly enjoyed the many viewpoints where we stopped to observe the boats below.

At the end, on the way back down, we enjoyed the superb view of the medieval town of Noli, whose walls are clearly visible from the path.

Return journey by bus from Noli to Varigoti: €3 per person for a 15-minute bus journey, which is almost a steal! 9 € à 3 ! It’s far too expensive, but there’s no other choice, as the road along the sea passes through tunnels that are not safe for pedestrians.

Noli: our weekend favourite on the Italian Riviera di Ponente

Noli was our favourite spot on the Ligurian coast. This village, nestled between the sea and the hills, appealed to us first of all from the views along the Pelerins path. We then began our visit by strolling through the narrow streets lined with pastel-coloured houses, with their medieval arches and craft shops. Here too, we’ll have to return to climb up to the Tour des Quatre Coins, a medieval vestige of this small fortified town.

I’ll tell you more about our discoveries along this coast during our next visits…

>> You should also like: Gênes en famille

Other activities to try next time

IPractical information for a family weekend on the Riviera di Ponente

How do I get to the Riviera di Ponente in Italy?

There are several options for getting to the Riviera di Ponente and discovering the charming towns of Varigotti and Noli.

• By car from France, take the A8 and then the Italian A10 (‘Autostrada dei Fiori’) – allow 4hrs 30mins from Nice or 7hrs from Lyon.
• You can also take the coastal line by train: TGV to Nice, then a connection to Finale Ligure, from where there are local buses to Varigotti and Noli.
• By plane to Genoa airport, followed by an hour’s drive or a train journey.
• For budget travellers, Flixbus offers a service from France to Finale Ligure, with a local bus connection.

Where to stay in Riviera di Ponente with kids?

By booking the evening before our arrival, we didn’t have much choice. Noli seemed very nice, but the night before, room prices were skyrocketing. Knowing that we only stay in our accommodation for a short time, we opted for a budget solution in Finale Ligure. The rooms were comfortable, but a little noisy, as is often the case with beach resorts built in the 80s! But the Lido Resort is very well placed on the beach and the staff were very friendly. Here are the photos taken just before returning the room. Sorry for the inconvenience!

When should you go?

These seaside resorts must be packed in summer. So go in the off-season to rediscover the charm we loved! Car parks are free from 1 November to 31 March, otherwise prices are very high (twice as expensive for holidaymakers as for locals!).