The fishermen's houses on the beach
A few kilometres east of Finale Ligure, along the Aurelia road, Varigotti is a small fishing village with a unique appearance on the Ligurian coast: its houses, low and cubic, with flat roofs or small terraces, painted in soft pastel colours, ochre, pink, yellow and orange, stand directly on the sandy beach, with their feet almost in the water, in an architecture that recalls the villages of North Africa and the Middle East, so much so that it is often called the "Saracen village". In the Middle Ages, in fact, Varigotti was an important harbour and its coast was often raided by Saracen pirates.
The beach of Varigotti, long and of fine sand, with clear water, is one of the most beautiful of the Riviera di Ponente. To the east, beyond the promontory of Punta Crena, a rocky headland covered with Mediterranean scrub, lies the Baia dei Saraceni, the Bay of the Saracens, a small, enchanting cove with emerald and turquoise water, considered one of the most beautiful bays in Liguria, where, according to tradition, the pirates' ships anchored. On the promontory, the ruins of a Byzantine and medieval castle and the small church of San Lorenzo Vecchio, with a panoramic cemetery overlooking the sea, can be reached on foot. From Varigotti, the Sentiero del Pellegrino, a path along the coast and through the plateau, leads to Noli, with spectacular views of the sea and the cliffs of Capo Noli, and passes the small church of Santa Margherita.
Tip: go to the Baia dei Saraceni early in summer; walk the Sentiero del Pellegrino to Noli in the cooler hours.
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