The Ligurian hinterland: why choose Borgomaro instead of the coast

When you think of Liguria, the image that immediately comes to mind is that of cliffs plunging into the sea, picturesque fishing villages, beaches crowded with tourists. But there’s another Liguria, equally fascinating and much more authentic, that hides just a few kilometers inland: it’s the Liguria of small villages like Borgomaro, where time still flows slowly and where it’s possible to live experiences that the coast can no longer offer.

When the coast becomes too much

The Ligurian Riviera, especially during the summer months, undergoes a transformation that often distorts its original beauty. The coastal roads become clogged with traffic, the beaches fill with umbrellas beyond belief, restaurant prices reach figures that have little to do with Ligurian popular tradition. The fishing villages, while maintaining their charm, often become open-air museums where authenticity gives way to tourist representation.

This is not a criticism of the Ligurian coast, which remains one of the most beautiful in the world, but a observation: those seeking an authentic experience, those who really want to know the deep soul of this land, must shift their gaze inland. Towards places like Borgomaro, where Liguria shows its most genuine face, less contaminated by mass tourism.

The silence that heals the soul

In Borgomaro reigns a silence that has become a distant memory on the coast. It’s silence broken only by the peaceful flow of the Maro stream, by the singing of birds at dawn, by the church bells that mark time according to human rhythms. At night, the starry sky appears in all its magnificence, without the light pollution that characterizes coastal cities.

This silence is not empty, but full of authentic life. It’s the silence of whispered conversations at the village bar, of children’s laughter as they still play freely in the streets, of elderly people gathering on the town square bench to tell each other the same old stories. It’s a silence that heals the soul of those accustomed to the frantic rhythms of modern life.

The discovery of authentic flavors

While on the coast Ligurian cuisine often adapts to international tastes, losing part of its identity, in the hinterland culinary traditions remain intact. In Borgomaro it’s still possible to taste true Ligurian focaccia, prepared according to old recipes, or the famous pizza from “Zia Bruna” that has become a local legend.

At the Relais del Maro, breakfast tells the story of the territory through products that come directly from local producers: freshly pressed Taggiasca extra virgin olive oil, cheeses from Agrilocanda Cor-nus, artisanal cured meats from Salumeria Giacobbe. These are not products chosen to impress tourists, but the same ones that the village inhabitants consume daily.

It’s possible to visit the oil mills during harvest season, participate in olive pressing, truly understand what that millennial relationship between man and this difficult but generous land means. Experiences that on the coast have become impossible or reduced to folkloric representations.

The luxury of slowness

In the Ligurian hinterland, luxury takes on a completely different meaning. It’s not about exclusive services or sophisticated comforts, but about the rarest luxury in contemporary society: that of time. Time to wander aimlessly through the village caruggi, to stop and chat with the inhabitants, to read a book in the shade of centuries-old olive trees.

At the Relais del Maro, this luxury of slowness becomes an integral part of the experience. The garden with pool open twenty-four hours a day is not just a service, but an invitation to rediscover the pleasure of the “air baths” that our grandparents used to take. The five o’clock tea with over thirty different varieties is not an imported fashion, but a moment of conviviality that creates authentic bonds between guests.

Nature without compromises

While the Ligurian coast has had to deal with urbanization and tourist development, the hinterland has maintained its natural beauty intact. The olive terraces climbing the hillsides, the chestnut woods that turn a thousand colors in autumn, the paths connecting one village to another through landscapes of rare suggestion.

This is the ideal territory for those who love trekking, for those who want to rediscover contact with nature, for those seeking that contemplative dimension that modern life has made us forget. From the Relais del Maro, numerous trails depart leading to the discovery of hidden corners of the Maro Valley, ancient mills, votive chapels that testify to the popular religiosity of these lands.

The hospitality that makes the difference

Perhaps the most important difference between coast and hinterland lies in hospitality. On the coast, welcome is often professional but standardized, conditioned by the frantic rhythms of mass tourism. In the hinterland, hospitality still has the authentic flavor of Ligurian tradition, the kind that makes every guest feel like a family member.

At the Relais del Maro, this philosophy of welcome is realized in a thousand small gestures: the predominantly female staff who know you by name from the first day, the willingness to personalize every service according to your needs, the ability to advise you not only on what to see but also on how to best experience the village.

No matter what time you arrive or what your particular needs are: you’ll always find someone ready to welcome you with that genuine smile that makes the difference between a simple overnight stay and a memory that will last forever.

A more sustainable and conscious tourism

Choosing the hinterland instead of the coast also means making a choice for sustainable tourism. The scattered hotel of Relais del Maro, member of EcoWorldHotel and Green Pearls® Unique Places, represents a hospitality model that respects the environment and supports the local economy.

Every euro spent here contributes directly to maintaining local traditions, supporting small producers, preserving the architectural and cultural heritage of the village. It’s tourism that gives instead of taking, that enriches the territory instead of impoverishing it.

The sea remains within reach

Choosing Borgomaro doesn’t mean completely giving up the sea. Imperia is only fifteen kilometers away and in just a few minutes you can reach the beaches of the Western Riviera when you feel like it. But the difference is substantial: the sea becomes one of many options, not the only reason for the stay.

It’s possible to alternate relaxing mornings by the pool in the Relais garden with afternoons at the sea, excursions in the hinterland woods with dinners at fish restaurants on the coast, moments of contemplation among the olive trees with swims in the crystal-clear waters of the Riviera.

Staying at the Relais del Maro means choosing a richer and more complete experience, where the beauty of the Ligurian coast is enriched by the depth and authenticity of the hinterland. It means discovering a different Liguria, one that few tourists know but which represents the truest and most genuine soul of this wonderful land.