Getting Oriented

A thin crescent of rugged and verdant land between France, Piedmont, Tuscany, the Alps, and the Mediterranean Sea, Liguria is best known as the Italian Riviera. Genoa, the region's largest city and one of Italy's most important ports, lies directly in the middle, with the Riviera di Ponente to the west and the Riviera di Levante to the east. It is here that the Italians perfected il dolce far niente—the sweet art of idleness.