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Liguria --- Dolceacqua vs Apricale for three or four nights?

As part of a 4 week trip to Liguria and Piemonte, mid-November to mid-December, we can't decide between Dolceacqua and Apricale. There are equally nice apartments and B&Bs in both towns and they both seem interesting as a place to stay in for a few nights.

I guess the main thing we'd like to find out is which town is better for non-fancy places to eat and to buy food, and which town is less "shut down" in the off season. In Puglia in November and December we've seen that the beach towns are ghost towns (as we drove through or past them!) and the other towns are just great, just normal. Not sure what to expect in winter-time Liguria.

We are mainly interested in exploring the nearby towns, such as Pigna, and eating good local food. We understand what the weather might be like. We are not interested in beaches, seafood, biking, shopping, nightlife, staying in larger towns or cities (except for Genova where we will also be staying earlier in the trip), resorts, or (in general) restaurants that squirt stuff on the plate or the food to decorate it.

After this location we are driving to La Brigue in France to see a fresco that I have to see, then on to our first stop in Piemonte.

This will be our 10th trip to Italy and my husband speaks pretty darn good Italian (like, can argue about politics in Italian).

Besides Genova, we are probably going to be staying in Camogli and Finalborgo (if anyone has thoughts about these two towns in the winter).

Thanks --- this forum is so enormously helpful that I rarely need to ask a question!

Nancy

Posted by
1813 posts

Dolceaqua is the better choice. It is larger and has more activity. The old section is large and has an adjacent new (less old really) section where there are somewhat more services. Apricale is worth visiting for sure, but there's not enough for a multi-day stay, in my opinion.

Posted by
1813 posts

Camogli should be ok in winter - it's a real town. The Camogli to San Fruttuoso ferry operates all year, waves permitting. There are also nice hikes in the Portofino park. Also the DOC focaccia of nearby Recco is astounding. Finalborgo will be less active but not totally dead. We were there in late spring and it was not too lively, but it's a real community, if underpopulated, so it would be ok for a night or two.

Posted by
11671 posts

Have you considered beautiful Santa Margerita Ligure? It would offer many options for your visit to Liguria.

Posted by
1613 posts

Hi Suki! I've read a lot of your posts! Yes, we did think about Santa Margherita Ligure and it is beautiful and we will visit it from Camogli along with Recco, Rapallo, and Chiavari. But we liked Camogli for, among other things, being smaller and having fishing boats rather than yachts. Also, there's an apartment I'm kind of in love with already.

Mike, thanks for your insights about Dolceacqua and the other towns --- it does sound like the better choice. I'm finding this trip more challenging to plan than usual --- perhaps because there aren't so many of the usual tie-breakers between two similar towns, like a museum or church we want to see. We are going to the All About Apple museum in Savona.

Further advice is welcome!

Posted by
332 posts

We stayed in Apricale in mid June 2014. Love the beauty of this tumbling hillside town. That being said, it was still quite sleepy even in mid June. I don't think there would be much to do in November/December. I would definitely go with Dolceaqua. A must have is rabbit ravioli at Da Delio in Apricale. I still think about that meal... simple and complex all at the same time.

Posted by
1613 posts

Thanks! We booked at B&B La Gemme in Dolceacqua for 3 nights and will definitely eat that rabbit ravioli! Visiting nearby Pigna and Apricale.

I see that I've been spelling Dolceacqua wrong for months, I guess because it's "aqua" for water in Latin and for the color. Spelled correctly now, it still looks wrong to me! I'll see if I can fix it in this post.

Posted by
11834 posts

Nancy,
In Camogli, depending on where your apartment is, a couple of grocery recommendations. Doro in the center of town is smallish but basically OK selection. Gulliver is just on the edge of Recco (it was a 10 minute walk for us from an apartment above the port) is much larger with a better selection. Gulliver was also open on Sunday afternoon while Doro was not. That Sunday shopping always throws me in small towns.