Santa Margherita Ligure
- History
- What to see
- Where to sleep
- Where to eat and restaurants
- Beaches
- Gastronomy
- Traditional festivals
- How to get there
- Weather forecast
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Santa Margherita Ligure is a renowned tourist resort located in the heart of the Gulf of Tigullio, closed between the promontory of Portofino and Punta Pagana, in the municipality of Rapallo.
Surrounded by hills, part of the municipality is included in the Portofino Regional Natural Park.
History
The Santa Margherita area was perhaps the site of a Roman settlement. The presence of the Lombards of Rotari in 641, who devastated the small town, was more certain. From the 10th century the area came under the influence of the abbey of San Colombano di Bobbio and shortly afterwards became a fiefdom of the Fieschi di Lavagna. From 1229 it submitted to the Republic of Genoa. In 1549 it suffered the famous sacking of the Turkish pirate Dragut with nearby Rapallo.
With French domination from 1797 it became part of the Ligurian Republic and with the fall of Napoleon in 1814 it passed into the Kingdom of Sardinia, then following its fate until the unification of Italy.
what to see
Here are the main monuments of Santa Margherita Ligure to admire during your holiday:
Dove dormire
Santa Margherita Ligure is a highly requested destination by tourists for its beaches, trekking routes and its proximity to Portofino and the other towns in Tigullio.
Please find here where to stay in Santa Margherita Ligure.
Where to eat
Among the numerous restaurants in Santa Margherita Ligure, here are some suggestions:
Taverna del Marinaio: on the seafront. Typical dishes of Ligurian cuisine, elegant setting.
Osteria Numero 7: near the port. Marine style furnishings. Traditional sea and land dishes.
La Cambusa restaurant: seafront, elegant venue with seafood menu.
Oca Bianca Restaurant: family-run, mainly meat dishes, ideal for couples and families.
Il Patio: in the historic center, vintage furnishings with a beautiful terrace. Mainly fish cuisine.
Beaches
The coastline of the municipality of Santa Margherita Ligure is long and varied, with pebble, sand and rock beaches, which reach up to the suggestive Paraggi bay.
There are several stretches with free beaches, with bathing establishments and with private hotel beaches. From the east, the municipal coast begins with the small free beach of Piazza del Sole, near the Metropole hotel. Followed by the private beach of the Hotel Helios and then the long Ghiaia beach, in front of Viale Andrea Doria and up to the roundabout. Pebble beach, it is about 250 meters long. Here there are bathrooms, a free beach and an area reserved for disabled people.
The seafront promenade begins, protected by large rocks, where the tourist boat terminal is located and therefore the port of Santa Margherita Ligure.
The bathing area resumes after the port with other bathing establishments, small stretches of free beaches, including the Minaglia beach and the Regina Elena beach, made up of sand and pebbles that slope down slowly towards the sea.
Continuing towards Portofino, we find the free equipped beaches of Giò and Rino, the Bau Bau Beach, where pets are welcome, Il Molo and Punta pedale.
The coast continues next to the provincial road 227, with some points where it is possible to swim, up to the private beach of the Covo di Nord Est and a small free beach right under the Paraggi castle, now close to the Paraggi Bay.
The Paraggi beach is about a hundred meters long, very suggestive, surrounded by pine trees and Mediterranean scrub. Of sand, the crystal clear sea makes it ideal for diving, also due to the presence of a merchant ship wreck that sank in 1917.
Detailed information on the beaches of Santa Margherita Ligure and how to get there.
Gastronomy
The culinary excellence of Santa Margherita Ligure is the large prawn, purple or red, up to 25 centimeters in length.
As with the rest of Tigullio, trofie with pesto, trenette with walnut sauce, anchovies, stuffed mussels, focaccia, ciuppin, fish soup, fried and grilled fish are typical.
Among the desserts, the town prepares the characteristic Margheritine, flower-shaped hazelnut shortcrust biscuits.
Traditional festivals
The main festival of Santa Margherita Ligure is the patronal festival of Santa Margherita, celebrated on July 20th and the days before with the procession, a fireworks display, the placing of candles in the water and the small fair in Piazza Caprera.
The Festa della Primavera (Spring Festival) is very popular, a historic event on the weekend preceding or following March 21st, with the lighting of the bonfire, the "luminea de San Gioxeppe", fireworks, free distribution of pancakes and a historical reenactment.
In summer there are numerous events with concerts, cabaret, theater and dance shows and the fried fish festival in August.
How to get there and parking
Santa Margherita Ligure can be reached by car along the A12 motorway and exiting at the Rapallo toll booth, located about 5 km from the center of Santa Margherita Ligure.
A very convenient option is the train, along the Genoa-La Spezia railway line, with the station 150 meters from Ghiaia beach.
Very suggestive is arriving in Santa Margherita Ligure by ferry, with the services of the Servizio Marittimo del Tigullio. The town is directly connected to Rapallo, Chiavari, Lavagna, Sestri Levante, Portovenere and Monterosso.
Discover detailed information on how to get to Santa Margherita Ligure.
Compared to other Ligurian locations, parking in Santa Margherita Ligure is perhaps simpler, even if these are paid spaces.
There are many places scattered along the seafront and surrounding streets, around 450, paying at the parking meter.
The largest car parks are the station car park next to the train station; the Miramare car park after the port; the Vittorio Veneto car park near Ghiaia, the Riviera car park and the Durazzo car park a short distance from the port.
Detailed information on where to park in Santa Margherita Ligure.
Boat tours
Boat trips are possible in Santa Margherita Ligure thanks to the services of the Tigullio Maritime Service, which connects the town to Rapallo, Chiavari, Lavagna, Sestri Levante, Portovenere and Monterosso.
The lines affected are:
More information:
Cinque Terre by boat from Genoa and surroundings
Or for those who prefer more freedom and intimacy, you can rent a boat or dinghy in Santa Margherita Ligure thanks to private operators:
TLM Nautica Yacht Charters
Calata del Porto, Santa Margherita Ligure
Tel: 338 5436118
Olivari Noleggio
Via Tommaso Bottaro, Santa Margherita Ligure
Tel: 339 3399539
Nettuno Portofino Charter
Corso Guglielmo Marconi, Santa Margherita Ligure
Tel: 339 8414266
Cantieri Sant'Orsola
Banchina Sant'Erasmo, Santa Margherita Ligure
Tel: 348 3591488
Albatros Boat Tour
Via Tommaso Bottaro, Santa Margherita Ligure
Tel: 338 7328357
MotorMarine Tigullio
Via Garibaldi, 17, Santa Margherita Ligure
Tel: 0185 288408
Weather forecast
The weather forecast for Santa Margherita Ligure in the next few days, so you can organize your trip or holiday in Santa Margherita Ligure.