Diano Marina is a small seaside town on the Riviera di Ponente in western Liguria, between Imperia and Alassio. It has a long sandy beach, a mild microclimate, and the quiet, slightly old-fashioned atmosphere of a town that has been welcoming Italian holidaymakers for over a century without ever becoming flashy.
The Museo Civico in the 19th-century Villa Ardissone displays pre-Roman and Roman artefacts found in the area, offering a window into the region's ancient trading history. The nearby Olive Tree Museum in Imperia documents six thousand years of olive cultivation — a fitting subject for a stretch of coast where olive groves blanket every hillside.
Diano Marina is a pleasant base for exploring the quieter western Ligurian coast. Just inland, Diano Castello is the original medieval hilltop village above the resort, while a few kilometres east along the coast, Cervo is one of the most perfectly preserved baroque villages in Liguria. The local cooking relies on olive oil, fresh fish, and pesto made the way the Ligurians insist it should be made: with small-leaf Genovese basil and nothing else.