Art, culture, nature, sport and, of course, simply relaxing. The GRAND HOTEL MIRAMARE in Santa Margherita Ligure has something to make everyone want to stay or holiday there. Here are a few suggestions to help you plan and enjoy your leisure time while in the area.
ART AND CULTURE: The beauty of the landscape is already a work of art to be admired in any season. At certain times of the day all you need do for inspiration is look out from the balcony of your room at the GRAND HOTEL. The MIRAMARE will bring out the poet in you.
Villa Durazzo
The area around the GRAND HOTEL MIRAMARE has other buildings and villas that are in harmony with the landscape. In Santa Margherita, for example, there’s the 17th century Villa Durazzo, with its sumptuous interior décor, its stucco work and marble floors and columns, statues and paintings and its spectacular park. It’s a venue for musical and literary events and it also offers guided tours.
Abbazia della Cervara (La Cervara Abbey)
A kilometer and a half from the GRAND HOTEL MIRAMARE, the Abbazia di San Girolamo at Monte di Portofino, known as the Abbazia della Cervara, is another treasury of art, culture and nature, and is ranked among the 76 Greatest Gardens in Italy. In its 700 or so years of history, it has welcomed saints, poets, kings, men of religion and science.
Abbazia di San Fruttuoso (San Fruttuoso Abbey)
Not far from the GRAND HOTEL MIRAMARE is the Abbazia di San Fruttuoso, one of the marvels of the Ligurian coastline. It can be reached by boat or by trekking along the beautiful paths crossing the Portofino Natural park. Belonging to FAI, Fondo Ambiente Italiano (Italy’s National Trust), the thousand year old abbey is open to the public (opening hours vary from season to season).
Cristo degli Abissi (Christ of the Abyss)
The Cristo degli Abissi is a bronze statue laid at a depth of 15 meters on the bed of the bay of San Fruttuoso within the Portofino Protected Marine Nature Reserve. Restored in 2003 to preserve it against corrosion, the statue is 2.5 meters tall and is visited by divers from all over the world.
NATURE AND SURROUNDINGS: The Portofino Regional Nature Park is a paradise for walkers, at a stone’s throw from the MIRAMARE. Dozens of kilometers of paths, breathtaking panoramic spots, an extraordinarily rich biodiversity both above and below the surface of the sea, traces of former agricultural settlements, fishing villages, places of historical and cultural interest.
Santa Margherita Ligure
Santa Margherita Ligure, the "Pearl of the Tigullio", is one of the most prestigious holiday resorts in Italy. Its appeal lies in an urban landscape that blends beautifully into the natural one, in its night clubs, its boutiques and its places of historical interest, such as Villa Durazzo Centurione and the 16th century castle.
Portofino
5 kilometers from Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino, with its Piazzetta, its painted façades, its villas and castle and its harbor is synonymous to high society and glamour. But perhaps not everyone knows that the tiny church of San Giorgio contains relics of the saint carried there by Portofino sailors returning from the Crusades.
Camogli
10 kilometers from Santa Margherita Ligure, Camogli, the “Gem of the Golfo Paradiso” or “City of the thousand white sailing ships”, is one of the most famous and best preserved old ports in Italy. Visitors to this village of sailors and fishermen are struck by the pastel colored houses, the beach, its festivals and the panoramic views from its high ground.
San Fruttuoso di Camogli
9 kilometers from Santa Margherita Ligure and only accessible by boat or on foot, is San Fruttuoso di Camogli, a pearl set between Camogli and Portofino. It’s half dream, half reality, a merging of history and legend, such as the one on the foundation of its abbey, which tells of three monks and a dragon, an angel and a spring of clear water.
Punta Chiappa
The walk from San Rocco di Camogli to the rocky Punta Chiappa (12 kilometers from Santa Margherita Ligure) is one of the most moving outdoor experiences to be had on the Riviera. It’s reached by 900 steps down through the green woodland. Punta Chiappa is great for swimming, snorkeling and admiring the views. Return to Camogli is by boat.
Rapallo
4 kilometers from Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo is the main town on the Gulf of Tigullio. Its seafront castle, and civic emblem, was built in 1551 to defend it from Saracen pirates. Of religious interest is the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Montallegro (16th century), at 612 meters above the sea, reached by the only aerial tramway in service in Liguria.
Sestri Levante
At 28 kilometers from Santa Margherita Ligure, Sestri Levante is known as the city of two seas. A narrow isthmus, in fact, separates the suggestive Bay of Silence from the Bay of Fairy Stories, so named after Hans Christian Andersen, whose stay in the town is celebrated every year in an important festival of children’s literature.
Portovenere
95 kilometers from Santa Margherita Ligure, Portovenere, pearl of the Gulf of Poets, with the Cinque Terre and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto, is a Unesco Human Heritage site. The magical church of San Pietro (once a temple to Venus), the Doria Castle (12th century), the old center and the grottoes are must-see attractions of the place.
Isola Palmaria
95 kilometers from Santa Margherita Ligure. The Island of Palmaria, together with Portovenere, the Cinque Terre and the islets Tino and Tinetto, is a Unesco Human Heritage site. A narrow strait separates it from Portovenere. On the west coast, characterized by high cliffs, are the Grotta Azzurra and Grotta dei Colombi, which can be reached by boat or with ropes.
Cinque Terre
At 94 kilometers from Santa Margherita Ligure, the Cinque Terre, with Portovenere and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto, are a Unesco Human Heritage site and a National Park and Protected Marine Area. The towns of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore are linked by the famous Via dell’Amore between cliffs and terraced vineyards.
Genova (Genoa)
At 43 kilometers from Santa Margherita Ligure, Genoa, the capital of Liguria, has an astonishing wealth of architectural and cultural attractions. The Palazzi dei Rolli, in Europe’s biggest historical center, form a Unesco Human Heritage site. The city’s Aquarium, in the old port, is one of the biggest collections of aquatic biodiversity in the world. And of course, for lunch there’s always EATALY!
SPORT: Sports lovers flock to Santa Margherita Ligure. Sailing, yachting, diving and rowing if the sea is your playground; golf, trekking, running, horse riding and tennis if you prefer terra firma. And without moving from the GRAND HOTEL, you can swim in the pool and take water gymnastics classes at the Bagni Miramare.
Golf and Tennis
The Circolo Golf e Tennis Rapallo is open to GRAND HOTEL MIRAMARE residents. The 18-hole course is considered one of the most spectacular in Italy. It winds through century old trees and the remains of the Valle Christi Cistercian monastery. The Circolo Golf di Rapallo is also certified to receive disabled players. Our Gold Key Concierges can assist you with costs and tee times.
Sailing
The Circolo Velico Santa Margherita Ligure, on the Calata del Porto by the Casa del Mare, has been organizing regattas of national and international resonance since 1952 and is still today very active in the organization of regattas in the area.
Diving
In Santa Margherita Ligure and neighboring districts there are various diving clubs offering courses and guided tours of the marvelous seabed of the Portofino Protected Marine Nature Reserve. Exploration of these places is only possible if accompanied by authorized personnel, in the interests of both, visitors and the marine flora and fauna.
Trekking
The Portofino Regional Nature Park is a great favorite amongst all trekking lovers. Every year, trekkers from all over the world come to enjoy the dense network of paths crossing the breathtaking promontory. 700 botanical species and 20 endemic fauna species are just some of the treasures to discover as you ramble.
Running
Santa Margherita Ligure has been on the calendar for Italian and European runners and trailers for some years now. The “Two Pearls” International Half Marathon in February and the Portofino Trail in November are unmissable for lovers of running in beautiful surroundings. A quick jog along the coastline will explain why!
