After the narrow cobbled alleyways that make up most of Genoa’s old town this bright, open, endless promenade is literally a breath of fresh air. Its wide seafront pavement, jauntily decorated and full of folk really do make you feel like you’re on holiday. In the summer months it’s full of bathing places (most of them charge!), sports opportunities, ice-creams, cocktails and sunshine. Every so often a glimpse of the odd olive grove or ancient monastery on the hill behind gives you an idea of the paradise it must have been before urbanisation took hold. But then, the chic villas with their impossibly bright bougainvillea stretching all the way down the coast and the view of Portofino gleaming in the distance aren’t that bad either!!