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The glorious stretch of coast east from Genoa , dubbed the Riviera di Levante , is not the place to come for a relaxing beach holiday. As ever, visiting out of season eases the claustrophobia, but in summer, catching some rays in the most popular resort towns involves fighting for a small piece of pebble beach or concrete jetty (the beaches aren't as good as those on the other side of Genoa), while sitting in the waterfront restaurants and cafes means running the gauntlet of some highly competitive posing. Ports that once eked a living from fishing and coral diving have been transformed by a solid thirty years of tourism; the coastline is still wild and extremely beautiful in parts, but predictably the sense of remoteness has gone. It's pointless protesting against the stranglehold that tourism has: once you accept that wandering around ex-fishing villages with hordes of others is inevitable, you can appreciate the attractions this area still holds. Away from the resorts, the cliffs and bays are covered with pine and olive trees, best seen from the vantage points along the footpaths criss-crossing the headland of the Monte di Portofino . The harbour towns of Camogli on the Golfo Paradiso and Santa Margherita Ligure on the Golfo Tigullio are favourite subjects for arty picture postcards, while super-chic Portofino on the southern tip of the headland effortlessly pulls in the international jetset. More digestible nightlife is better served at big, feisty resorts such as Rapallo . Further east, the main road heads inland, bypassing the spectacular Cinque Terre and joining the train line at the port of La Spezia , which stands at the head of the idyllic Golfo dei Poeti and gives access to romantic waterside villages such as Portovenere . From La Spezia, there's easy access by road or rail to Pisa or Parma, and by sea to Corsica.
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