Jagged mountains, rolling hills and the clear blue waters of the Ligurian Sea make Liguria one of northern Italy’s most beautiful and relaxing destinations. Life in Liguria is life at its most gentle; as you venture along the region’s long, stretching coastline, you’ll come across sleepy fishing villages and hamlets where locals value the finer things in life – good food, peace and quiet, and the gentle lapping of the tide against the seafront.

The Ligurian coast is famous, not just for the gentle pace of life, but also for some of the most beautiful scenery in all of Italy. In between the major cities of Genoa and Livorno, the Cinque Terre National Park is one of Italy’s most visited attractions; indeed, it was the very first of Italy’s national parks (it earned protected status in 1999) and the five towns situated along this dramatic coastline – Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare – are iconic for their rugged beauty.

Further up the coast, the city of Genoa is a real culinary gem with a fascinating history as a medieval city-state, when it controlled a good portion of the Mediterranean. The Genovese love their food (and their pesto, of course), but they particularly adore a warm, crispy slice of focaccia Genovese – a slightly thinner version of the classic focaccia, eaten with a cappuccino in the morning and with a cold glass of wine in the evening.

Ligurians don’t just feast on focaccia alone, though. With all this glorious coastline, it’s no surprise that every town boasts a bounty of stunning seafood. Fish soups are a staple – the contents change as the seasons pass – and delicacies like stuffed sardines and the legendary Cappon magro – a majestic seafood salad made with crustaceans, eggs, olives, capers and vegetables – are all unmissable slices of Ligurian life. That’s not to mention the sumptuous pasta dishes and deeply historical treats like torta pasqualina – a celebratory pie baked every Easter.

Scroll down for our complete guide to Ligurian life, and get prepped before you head off for the Italian Riviera.