Italian Riviera Tips

Pick up a Museum Card in Genoa for $24, and bypass the admission lines and prices at each of the city’s museums.

Eating al fresco in Italy is a rite of passage, but many locals prefer to eat indoors. For a better shot at excellent cuisine, avoid touristy, waterfront locations.  

Don’t drive in Cinque Terre – the roads are not reliable (in some places they are literally crumbling into the sea). Instead, take the train that links the five towns. www.trenitaliaplus.com

The Slow Food movement started in Bra, just two hours north of the Italian Riviera, and the roads are full of signs advertising Agriturismo opportunities, where guests can stay on working farms, guesthouses, and B&Bs. Prices and amenities vary. www.agriturismo.it

The Autostrada (highway) is Italy’s miraculously engineered road and the one with the best views. The A-12, also known as the Autostrada Azzurra, offers breathtaking scenery, hugging the Italian coastline, whisking through tunnels, and corkscrewing around steep mountains. Find helpful maps with kilometer markers here: www.automap.it

Outside of Rome and Milan, nobody rushes in Italy. Trying to do thing fast will only cause frustration. Savor your meals and drinks and don’t speed through any of your experiences.

Vendors sometimes charge tourists double the normal price is in areas like Portofino and Cinque Terre. Learn a few choice Italian phrases and haggle if you think a gelato is too expensive. Most vendors will back down without an argument for fear of causing a scene.

The Festival Musicale del Mediterraneo, which is held from June-July in Genoa's hip Porto Antico,  showcases an array of global music and dance.www.echoart.org

Held biannually in Genoa during even years in July, this month-long ballet festival features the best companies’ performances from all over the world. www.carlofelice.it

The best part of Camogli’s festival of San Fortunato, each year, is the boisterous and free-to-the-public feast of freshly caught fish, cooked in a giant 12-foot frying pan.