[Nov. 2025] Continuing our short trip to Santa Margherita Ligure in Liguria, northern Italy.
The next morning, we planned to tour the town’s famous landmarks.
We started walking toward the castle, but along the way, we spotted the entrance to Villa Durazzo, another must-see attraction, so we decided to stop by there.
The villa itself sits atop a small hill, and we entered through the garden entrance, which was connected to a footpath leading to the villa.
The idea was to enjoy the garden as we walked up the winding slope.
The garden was well-maintained, with flowers and statues scattered throughout the natural surroundings.
There were other villas and churches on the grounds, but we were only allowed inside Durazzo, and the admission fee was €5.50 per person.
This villa was built in 1678 as a summer home for the Durazzo family, a powerful Genoese aristocrat.
As the family’s power declined in the 19th century, it was sold to another aristocratic family, the Centrione family.
The Centrione family maintained and expanded the villa, and it even served as a luxury hotel for a time.
It has been owned by the city since the 1970s.
We looked around using a guide-booklet with easy-to-understand explanations of each room.
There were a few people in the garden, but we were the only ones inside the villa, so we had this luxurious mansion all to ourselves for a while.
In one corner of the villa was a room dedicated to 20th-century journalist Vittorio Rossi.
My husband knew his name; he was a renowned journalist and literary figure.
After leaving, we tried to visit our first destinations, the castle and monastery, but they were closed.
Perhaps because it was out of season.
As I mentioned before, the next day, the region was hit by heavy rain, causing significant damage.
While we were walking, the sun shone briefly, allowing us to enjoy the beautiful, albeit modest, scenery.
We returned to the hotel to retrieve our luggage and took a break for a spritz.
We had only intended to have a drink, but they also served us cheese, salami, focaccia, and more, all for just €15.
This incident completely disproved the common belief that Ligurians are stingy.
