The complete foodie guide to Liguria

There aren’t that many parts of the world where striking, jagged mountains and turquoise, warm seas can be seen in the same place, but the little crescent-shaped Italian province of Liguria is one of them. Home to Genoa, one of Italy’s largest cities and historically one of Europe’s largest city-states thanks to its harbour (which saw ships come from all over the world), it features beautiful little fishing villages –including picturesque Portofino and Cinque Terre – all along its coastline. Further inland, terraced farms produce some of the best olive oil in the country, before the mountains take over and mark the Piedmontese border.

There’s Piedmont to the north, Emilia-Romagna to the east, Tuscany to the south and France and Monaco to the west, but Liguria still retains its own very distinct feel and culture. The region’s stunning scenery, warm climate and beautiful beachside resorts have led it to be known as the Italian Riviera – making it one of Europe’s most popular holiday destinations.

As with anywhere you go in Italy, food is an integral part of the local culture. That's especially true in Liguria – as the birthplace of pesto, it’s earned its place in the Italian culinary hall of fame, and the wealth of incredible ingredients grown and reared in the region makes eating well incredibly easy. These are just some of the specialities you shouldn’t miss when visiting the area.

All other types of basil pale in comparison to the verdant, deep green variety grown in Genoa. It’s so good that it has its own PDO protection, which ensures only basil from the local area can be called Genovese. The very best supposedly comes from Prà, a district to the west of the city, but taste any fresh basil grown in the region and you’ll find it far more sweet and flavourful than the packaged bunches in the supermarket. It is the key ingredient of a proper pesto.

You’d be forgiven for not noticing the differences between trenette and linguine, but they do exist. Both varieties of pasta come from Liguria and look like slightly flattened spaghetti, but trenette is actually a little wider and flatter which allows it to pick up more sauce – think of it as somewhere in between linguine and tagliatelle. It’s designed specifically to be served with pesto, the most famous speciality of the region. Keep an eye out for trofie, too – little hand-twisted spirals of pasta.

A bit like ricotta but softer in texture – think thick yoghurt – Prescinseua is stirred through sauces, used to top toast or most famously sandwiched between two thin slices of focaccia to create the local delicacy Focaccia di Recco. It’s one of Liguria’s most famous cheeses and, because of its fresh nature, can be hard to find outside the region.

The hills and mountains of Liguria means large-scale meat farming isn’t as prevalent as in other areas of Italy, but the need for filling, warming stews to keep mountain villagers happy through the winter months means it’s still on the menu. Rabbit is particularly popular, as it’s abundant and doesn’t require acres of farmland to rear, but veal can also be found on most restaurant menus.

Seafood is taken very seriously in Liguria – after all, Genoa was one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean for hundreds of years. All the usual fare can be found in the markets, but the Ligurians particularly love their sea bass, mussels and seppie, tiny little cuttlefish that are cooked simply and eaten as a snack or main meal.