Andora

Riviera delle Palme resort town where a medieval hill village overlooks a broad marina bay.

Andora faces the bay between Capo Mele and Capo Cervo on the Riviera delle Palme. The old hillside settlement of Borgo Castello preserves the medieval core: the late Romanesque church of Santi Giacomo e Filippo, a gate tower, and on the hilltop the remains of a polygonal castle known as the "Paraxu," the former residence of the Genoese governor. A handsome ten-arched Romanesque bridge spans the Merula River below.

The modern town is a popular seaside resort with a large marina accommodating over 600 boats. Sports facilities are a focus — swimming, sailing, windsurfing, tennis and riding are all on offer. In summer the Estate Musicale Andorese concert programme livens up the evenings. A few kilometres inland, the medieval village of Colla Micheri — home in his later years to the explorer Thor Heyerdahl — is worth an afternoon visit.

Guide

Eating Out

Andora's eating scene is typical for a Ligurian resort: fish is the backbone of menus, pasta comes dressed with pesto or fresh seafood, and the best meals are usually found in small trattorias a block or two back from the seafront rather than on it. Focaccia — the thick, oily Ligurian kind — is available from bakeries throughout the day and is the essential morning snack before anything else.

The marina area has the highest concentration of restaurants and cafes. In summer the town fills up and places get busy by 8pm; reservations are advisable at the better trattorias in July and August.

Guide

Getting There

Andora is on the main coastal railway line between Genoa and Ventimiglia. The Andora railway station is close to the beach and receives regular services throughout the day; journey time from Genoa is about ninety minutes, from Ventimiglia about forty minutes. The station is walking distance from both the centre and the beach.

By car, Andora is on the A10 autostrada with its own exit. The drive from Genoa takes about an hour; from the French border at Ventimiglia, about thirty minutes. Parking in summer can be tight near the beach, and the marina area fills early. The town has a free parking area a few hundred metres from the waterfront.

Guide

Things to Do

Andora rewards those who look beyond its beach. The medieval hilltop village of Borgo Castello sits above the modern resort and contains the main historical sights: a Romanesque church, a gate tower, and the ruins of a governor's castle. The Merula River valley offers easy walks through olive groves. The nearby village of Colla Micheri, hidden in the hills a few kilometres inland, is one of the most atmospheric medieval hamlets on this stretch of the coast.

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