Even the trees are handsome in Portofino, a small but perfectly coiffured coastal village that sits on its own peninsula, seemingly upping the exclusivity factor by mere geography. Hotels here are hushed and headily priced, but a drink by Portofino's yacht-filled harbour or a stroll around its designer shops can be easily enjoyed on a day trip from Genoa.

WB Yeats, Max Beerbohm and Ezra Pound all garnered inspiration in Rapallo and it's not difficult to see why. With its bright-blue changing cabins, palm-fringed beach and diminutive 16th-century castle perched above the sea, the town has a poetic and nostalgic air. It's at its busiest on Thursdays, when market stalls fill central Piazza Cile.

Santa Margherita materialises like a calm Impressionist painting. You wouldn't want to change a single detail of its picture-perfect seaside promenade, where elegant hotels with Liberty facades overlook yachts in this fishing-village-turned-retirement-spot. It's decidedly less bling than Portofino, with some affordable hotel options and a surprisingly workaday town behind the waterfront.

Zoagli Zoagi Comune Comune di Zoagli Zoagli from the Hills of Sant'Antonio. Zoagli from the Hills of Sant'Antonio. Located on the resort on the Italian Riviera, Zoagli is a popular destination during all seasons of the year by tourists from all over the world. Zoagli is a municipality located in province of Genoa on the Gulf of Tigullio, between Chiavari and Rapallo. The municipality is famous for its fine silk fabrics exported around the world and its cliff paths (creuze and mule tracks) that run along the Mediterranean Sea connecting Zoagli to its nearby villages: San Pietro di Rovereto, San Pantaleo, Semorile, St. Ambrose, and St. Martin. A bronze sculpture named the Madonna del Mare sits 2.7 metres (9 ft) underwater in front of the promenade in honor of a diving event held each year.

Sestri Levante is a beautiful little town at the Ligurian Riviera approximately halfway between Genoa and La Spezia. While Portofino and the Cinque Terre are probably the most well known tourist destinations on the Italian Riviera, Sestri Levante is becoming quite a favorite among Italians. This once quiet fishing village is slowly turning into a tourist hotspot. The original part of Sestri Levante is actually on a peninsula, with the beautiful bay Baia del Silenzio on one side and Baia delle Favole on the other. These two bays were named in honor of the Danish author HC Andersen, who lived in Sestri for a short time.