Download "Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy, people and piazzas"

There are some famous, beautiful, seaside towns along the Mediterranean shores of northwest Italy, but you might be surprised and delighted by the less well-known, but ever glamorous Santa Margherita Ligue, or as the locals call it, Santa. In many ways it's every bit as impressive as the more famous sites such as Portofino and Cinque Terre – in some ways it's even better. It's a little bit less touristic than many, so it offers an authentic slice of Italian life, as you'll see. The main piazza, as usual, is the center of life in the city. There are just locals, there's families, there's young couples out, eating and drinking, having a good time. Here's an example of the low prices and warm hospitality of the area, with this spritz, and all the snacks that came with it, for just six euro. You pay for the drink and the snacks are free. And there's a big supply of hotels and restaurants which are a bit less expensive than in the more famous places of the region. Mostly locals out today. We were here in the off-season, in October, so we had nice weather and the town was not crowded – easy to get a table at a restaurant, and always lots of things to keep us busy, exploring the little pedestrian lanes, piazzas and the waterfront of this charming city. In that casual Italian style, the laundry hangs out the window, even on the main piazza. And notice the paintings on the buildings -- it looks like three-dimensional carvings but it's all painted on in exquisite detail to trick the eyes. It's a trompe l'oeil kind of effect, making the buildings look stately and elegant, even with the laundry hanging in front. And there is no graffiti, which is quite remarkable for an Italian city. Extending directly in from the piazza are the two main pedestrian lanes of town, Via Cavour and Via Palestro, and they are lined with shops, and restaurants, and cafés, and lots of people out for a stroll, especially now in late afternoon. It's the passeggiata, a time-honored tradition in which nearly the whole town participates, out for a stroll. But it is not just any old walk. It's more of an art form. People are not necessarily shopping, or going anywhere in particular. It's a leisurely stroll to see their friends, and see who's wearing what, and maybe stop for a chat. It's an expression of the feeling of having plenty of time, with leisure, and ease in a relaxing way – something Italians learn to do from an early age. The south end of town by the waterfront is a little bit more for the locals rather than the visitors, but you can see this is definitely worth walking down to – get away from the main tourist center by that main piazza we saw earlier and come on over. It's only about 600 meters away -- easy to get here, walk around. You might see the fishermen bringing in the days catch to the local customers on the dock. There is a charming waterfront park and promenade with benches and landscaping, beautiful palm trees, statues and fountains. It's a safe place for the local biker gang to hang out. Just be careful not to get in their way. The waterfront is a center of social life, like an outdoor living room. It's a place to relax, or to kick a soccer ball around. And it's a venue for folk shows and events associated with competition, such as the half marathon. With its affordable hotels and many delightful attractions, Santa Margherita makes a good place to stay when you're visiting Portofino, just three miles away, and Cinque Terre, easily reached in a one-hour train ride. We have other videos about those two places which are wonderful to visit and we've got two other movies about Santa Margherita, but this program is different, focusing more on the people, piazzas pedestrian lanes and the waterfront. Many visitors to Santa Margherita arrive by rail. The train station is located right in the town itself, and so if you're traveling light, you could most likely just walk from the train station to your hotel. Most of the hotels are within 1/2 a mile, or at most, one mile away. And to complete our walk through this wonderful pedestrian zone, I'll bring you to my personal favorite restaurant in the city, where I enjoyed a lovely meal, Ristorante da Michele. We are staying at the Laurin Hotel, and it's four stars, and it's right on the waterfront, great location just a hundred meters away from the center of town where you got all the restaurants, and the piazza, the pedestrian lanes, the passeggiata in the evening. The hotel breakfast is just what you would hope to find in a very nice four-star hotel in Italy – a big spread there, with their cold cuts, your meats and cheeses, there's rolls and fruits of course, there's yogurts and coffee. This visit to Santa Margherita Ligue is part of our larger tour that also visits Portofino and Cinque Terre, and we have many more episodes showing you those wonderful places, providing an in-depth look at this beautiful region.