The historic centre of Laigueglia sits between the seafront promenade and the railway line, a tight rectangle of narrow lanes — carrugi — running parallel to the beach and connected by even narrower cross-alleys. The houses date mostly from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, in the typical Ligurian style: tall, painted yellow, ochre or pale pink, with green shutters and trompe-l'oeil window-frames painted onto the walls.
Walk the parallel streets — Via Genova, Via Roma, the upper lane behind the church — and lose yourself for an hour. The shops, restaurants and gelaterias are concentrated here; the buildings have been kept as residences rather than over-restored into a tourist set. A long evening passeggiata is the best way to see the quarter — Italians do this loop nightly, and you should join them.