Cervara Abbey is a 14th-century Benedictine monastery set on a cliff above the sea between Paraggi and Santa Margherita Ligure. The complex includes a Gothic cloister, the abbey church, and one of the finest Italianate cliff-edge gardens in Liguria. It is privately owned but opens for guided tours on selected days (usually Sundays in summer).
The terraced gardens, full of citrus and clipped box, are the visual reason to go. Book the tour through the abbey's own website — small groups, advance reservation essential.