Coming from the sea from Cervo, one drives through the Faraldi Valley and up to the dreamy village of Tovo, located 336 meters above sea level. Tucked in behind the piazza, nostalgically hidden, you will find the entrance to Casa Nostalgia. The house once belonged to an artist, and one enters it through an area filled with mandarin trees and palms. Once inside the house, which stays cool even in the summer, a marble staircase leads you up into the living and sleeping areas. Altogether there are 4 bedrooms and 2 baths at your disposal. From the second floor with its kitchen and dining room, one enters the 2nd roof terrace via a spiral staircase. The view from the terrace spans the entire valley down to the sea. The house is an ideal starting place for both sport enthusiasts, beach goers and friends of the kitchen.

A calming contrast to the lively coast is Cervo, located on a hill that gently slopes down to the sea. The town is dominated by the arts. An example of which is the church of San Giovanni Battista which is one of the most meaningful attestations of baroque architecture in Liguria.
The church was designed by the architect Gio Batta Marvaldi and was dedicated to the workers of Cervo, who became rich through fishing and coral trade and whose donations helped build the church.

The forecourt of the church, which is adorned with wonderful 18th century piece-works, plays host each year in Summer to the International festival of Chamber Music and is a perfect open-air venue for music lovers.


High up on the hill of Cervo is the Clavasana Castle. Perched atop the rocks, the castle has been renovated many times over the years but still serves its purpose of defense as can be see by the arrow-slits and bastions exhibited.

The ethnographic museum of the western Riviera also calls Cervo its home.







In the town center of Cervo you will see rows of two and three story houses tightly lining the curvy alleys.

As most of the houses have not been changed within the last century, most of them still exhibit the antique archway entrances.
From castle square there is a wonderful path which takes you on a great little walk through the olive groves and thick fir forest to an unforgettable and unparalleled view of the Gulf of Diano. The stone bays at the foot of the hill are perfect for sunbathers and water rats.

The restaurants of Diano and the surrounding area are known for their refined recipe variations, most of which are inspired by the local, freshly caught fish; from a calamari salad to risotto alla Marinara to black calamaribrisotto to just plain old grilled, but great tasting, fish.

Once a feudal holding of the Clavesana family, this municipality passed into the hands of the Genoese in the thirteenth century. The village is today a cluster of houses and a maze of alleyways, whose vaults and arches lend the district great charm. As in the Diano area in general, the hills are covered with olive groves and dotted with stone huts used by shepherds.



The parvis outside the church of San Lorenzo (which gives you a splendid view over the valley) is the site of an important drama and music festival every summer. The church is of mediaeval origin and has three aisles. It was extended in the sixteenth century and embellished with white columns, stucco work and ornaments; the neo-classical façade is the work of Angelo Ardissone. Inside you can see a grave stone with one of the oldest Roman inscriptions found in Liguria and a canvas poliptych showing the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.



If you wish to see a poliptych by Francalino (1578) you should visit the church of San Bernardo in Deglio; you can continue exploring art treasures by visiting the church of the Transfiguration in Riva, which preserves a fine wood group. As you leave Villa Faraldi and look up towards an overhanging rock you will notice an ancient white triangular column: this is a votary column similar to many others in the territory. They testify to popular devotion and commemorate important events; they also mark the route of the old mule-tracks, which were the only links between the districts until less than a hundred years ago. If you leave Villa Faraldi, passing by Molini and Riva Faraldi, you will see an old Roman bridge, the Caviglia water-mill, which is still in use, and the old ox-drawn mill at Tovo.

spiral staircase