After the Sanremo Marathon: Bordighera

The Route: Sanremo → Bordighera (1 night) → onward or back Logistics: Bordighera is on the coast line between Sanremo and Ventimiglia, with a station close to the sea. Check the Sunday and Monday regional timetable and the last train back. Local buses also serve the coast. Marathon Month: December Duration: 1 night

Sanremo ──(train, about 15-20 mins)──> Bordighera station
                                             │
              Via Romana ── seafront promenade ── Città Alta
                                             │
                          night in the garden town

Bordighera grew in the nineteenth century as a winter resort for northern Europeans who came for the mild climate, and it still has the layout of that period: a long seafront, villas hidden in gardens and palms on every street. The palms are not an accident. The town grew date palms and sold fronds to the Vatican for Palm Sunday for centuries, a trade that gave the town a particular privilege. Claude Monet came in 1884 and painted the gardens in a few weeks of bright light.

The seafront promenade is flat, and so is the main street. The upper town, the Città Alta, is steep but small.

December in Bordighera: the weather is mild, with bright days and cool nights. The winter visitors that once filled the villas are replaced by retirees and a handful of tourists. Beach clubs are closed, but cafés are open and the promenade is quiet.

Getting there

Trains run along the coast from Sanremo to Bordighera in the order of 15 minutes. Buy a ticket in advance, and check the platform. The station is on the seafront side of town, a short walk from the promenade.

The promenade and Via Romana

Walk the Lungomare Argentina, which runs along the sea with a view of the headland. Parallel to the sea, Via Vittorio Emanuele II is a shopping street, and Via Romana is the older pedestrian lane of the lower town with cafés. Everything is flat.

The gardens

The Giardini Esotici Pallanca is a botanical garden of cacti and succulents, a short walk from the centre, with seasonal opening times. Check them before you go. A few kilometres west, the Giardini Botanici Hanbury at La Mortola is a larger garden on a hillside, with a bus link from Ventimiglia. Opening days vary in winter, so check.

The upper town

The Città Alta is the medieval quarter on the hill, a tangle of narrow lanes and arches. The climb is steep, so take a taxi or skip it. Cafés in the little square at the top are open on some days.

Where to stay

Stay near the seafront, where everything is flat, and ask for a room with a lift. Many hotels in Bordighera date from the winter-resort era and some have uneven stairs. Check opening dates and breakfast times in December.

Eating

Look for a trattoria on the front or Via Romana. Dishes include fish soup, stuffed vegetables, focaccia and, in the hills, rabbit with Taggiasca olives. Book on weekends.

Getting back

Take the train back to Sanremo or on to Ventimiglia. Check the last train before dinner.