melodyt13

Hello, Considering a stay here over the summer with two kids. Are these towns good places for a nice Italian beach holiday?? Looking for nice beaches, restaurants and things to keep kids occupied in a place not run over by Americans.

Any firsthand knowledge of the area would be appreciated. Thanks

zeppole

You will certainly not find a town overrun with Americans. Most Americans -- and by that I mean 99.9 percent head for the Riviera Levante, which is between Genova and Tuscany. Chiefly, they head to le Cinque Terre, although a few want to be around Portofino/Santa Margherita Ligure.

Finale Ligure is a much beloved and picturesque beach town, so it will get plenty crowded with Italian sun worshippers in August, and any pretty weekend between May and the end of September. Pietra Ligure looks quite enjoyable from pictures. Another favorite beach town in that area is Varigotti.

There is a woman who posts on the Tripadvisor Italian Riviera Forum who actually lives in that part of Liguria. I encourage you to post over there, because she might know best what kids would most enjoy in the area. When you post over there (or if you respond here), include the ages of your children and describe some of their interests. Throughout Italy, and up and down the coast, there are unique attractions -- like horseback riding, cave exploring (nice on a hot day!), beekeepers, scuba diving, pottery classes. In some ways, most of the towns can be interchangeable when it comes to nice swimming and family-friendly hotels, but if your kids have a special interest, one town might be better than another.

Also, you should say whether or not you plan to rent a car. A few of the towns are not stops on the train line.

melodyt13

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like I'm on the right track. Yes, we will have a car and would probably use Finale as a base to visit the Genoa aquarium and maybe San Remo one day

zeppole

You don't say the ages of your kids, but the Genova acquarium is a very pokey affair, and if the kids are used to the new generation of high-tech aquariums, they may not be much impressed. Annoying to me is the high cost of entry, plus the layout which includes two forced marches through the gift shop, and an almost mandatory group photo-buy.

Genova can be fun for kids (I know less about San Remo), because it has funiculars, a boat tour of the tremendous harbor, and the sweet lions of the San Lorenzo cathedral. But in that area, you might also check into farm visits, cave explorations, castle climbing, snorkeling, etc.

Instead of San Remo, it is not all that much further to drive into France. The town of Eze gets low marks for being touristy, but maybe for one afternoon, it would be a nice stop for the kids.

Also, without knowing their ages, they might find it amusing to go to the tiny prinicipalities of Seborga (in Italy) and Monoco, so they can say they went to four different countries.

zeppole

Sorry for my typo -- Monaco, along the otherwise French coast.

twinsgg

We're also planning a trip to Pietra Ligure at the end of August with our children and mother-in-law. The boys will be 5 yrs. old and I'd love any suggestions on things to do with them while there, which beaches are best for kids, any area attractions, good restaurants, children's theme parks or playgrounds, etc. Cave exploring in a previous post sounded interesting. Does anyone have the name of the caves? It will be our first family trip to this area but not first time to Italy. Thanks!

zeppole

The caves near Savona are called "Toriano"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toirano_Caves

Others nearer to Ventimiglia are called "Balsi Rossi"

http://www.viajuliaaugusta.com/en/museo-balzi.html

I highly recommend you post your questions on the TripAdvisor forum for the Italian Riviera because there is a frequent poster on that message board who lives right in the area of the Riviera that you are going to and shares a great deal of specific information about it. Otherwise, it is really not much known outside of Italy, lovely and enjoyable as it is.

I also highly recommend that you invest in a copy of David Downie's Food and Wine of the Italian Riviera and Genoa, which contains innumerable recommendations of affordable restaurants and food shops, geleterie and bakeries in that area. Also places where monks make honey and shepherds make cheese, which you might enjoy tracking down with small children.

EastCoastCanadaGuy

My wife and I will be in the Finale Ligure, Italy area for 2 days in early June 2013, and we are looking for clean, affordable hotels or bed & breakfast accommodations. We do not need 4 or 5 star places, just clean and affordable.
It could also be in Spotorno, Noli, Varigotti
Does anyone have any suggestions for any of these places?