Italian Riviera
 

Can anyone recommend a scenic non touristy town in between Genoa and Nice for a two or three day side trip from Provence? Allasio & Noli have been mentioned in some other messages.

You might try Camogli. I did not stop there, but my parents did, and really liked it. I wouldn't say it isn't touristy, but compared to Nice or Cannes it is much quieter and smaller.

Alassio is pretty touristy during the summer; it's like a small version of Miami Beach. I'd suggest Cervo, a smaller and less cluttered village only about 10 miles down the coast from Alassio. Camogli is nice, but it isn't located between Nice and Genoa.

How about Menton? It is located in France just before the Italian border.

If you have a car consider moving back from the coast and on the mountains. Liguria is a thin strip of land with the sea on one side and the mountains on the other. Tourists tend to crowd the coeastal areas, while the mountains are little known to tourists, but have indescribably beautiful places. Moving from the coast to the mountains you will be able to leave a mediterranean environment and climb in but a few minutes to an alpine scenary.<BR><BR>http://www.turismo.liguriainrete.it/...t/guida/02.htm

I feel like an idiot. I meant Menton, not Camogli.

Menton on the French side and Diano Marina on the Italian. Bear in mind all along this coast they heavily rely on tourism as their main income, you will never find a town that is completely non touristy unless you venture into the hills behind the coast.