The Ligurian Coast, Cinque Terre. Stock Photography

Liguria is a region of north-western Italy; its capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennines mountain range and is roughly coextensive with the former territory of the Republic of Genoa. Liguria is bordered by France to the west, Piedmont to the north, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany to the east. It lies on the Ligurian Sea and is part of the Alps-Mediterranean Euroregion. The continental shelf is very narrow and so steep it descends almost immediately to considerable depths along its 350-kilometre coastline. Except for the Portovenere and Portofino promontories, the coast is generally not very jagged and is often high. At the mouths of the biggest watercourses are small beaches, but there are no deep bays and natural harbours except at Genoa and La Spezia. Italy, Europe.