Liguria is a narrow, crescent-shaped region in northwest Italy, hugging the Mediterranean between the Alps, the Apennines, and the sea. Known as the Italian Riviera, it is famous for the five cliffside villages of the Cinque Terre, the glamorous harbour of Portofino, and the maritime city of Genoa. Liguria is also the birthplace of pesto, focaccia, and a culinary tradition built around the sea and the steep, terraced coast.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Liguria through its food.
Genoese Pesto Masterclass with Mortar and Pestle
Learn to make authentic pesto alla genovese the traditional way - by hand, with a Carrara marble mortar and wooden pestle - in the BioTigullio5Terre shop on Via di Ravecca, a short walk from Christopher Columbus's house. Participants pound fresh Genovese basil DOP, Ligurian extra-virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmigiano and Pecorino, then enjoy the result over fresh trofie pasta with a glass of local wine.
Includes: Working with a genuine marble mortar instead of a blender · Understanding why Genovese basil DOP is grown small and tender · Tasting freshly made pesto on hand-rolled trofie · Taking home a jar of your own pesto
World Champion Mortar Pesto Lesson, Genoa
The only class taught by Camilla Pizzorno, winner of the World Mortar Pesto Championship (Campionato Mondiale di Pesto al Mortaio). She shares her exact technique and the secrets that won the title, using a large antique mortar and a vintage pestle more than a century old. The session ends with a full three-course Ligurian meal including focaccia, handmade pasta seasoned with the freshly made pesto, and tiramisu.
Includes: Learning from an actual World Pesto Championship winner · Using a century-old pestle and oversized mortar · A complete three-course Ligurian lunch or dinner · Insider technique on rhythm, pressure, and ingredient order
Genoa Street Food & Mercato Orientale Tour
A small-group tasting and walking tour that starts at the Mercato Orientale - Genoa's oldest covered market, dating to the 19th century - then dives into the caruggi (narrow alleys) of the historic center. Stops include focaccia genovese fresh from the oven, chickpea farinata, fresh pesto, fried seafood, and Ligurian wine, with the guide explaining the origins of each Genoese specialty along the way.
Includes: Farinata (chickpea flatbread) baked in a wood-fired copper pan · Warm focaccia genovese dipped in cappuccino like a local · Mercato Orientale produce, cheese, and seafood stalls · Sampling food in centuries-old shops of the caruggi
Focaccia di Recco col Formaggio Experience
Recco is the home of Focaccia col Formaggio IGP - two paper-thin sheets of unleavened dough filled with soft stracchino-style fresh cheese and baked at very high heat until blistered. The dish is protected and can only be made in Recco, Camogli, Sori, and Avegno. Historic focacceria Manuelina, baking it since 1885, is the classic place to taste it fresh from the oven, ideally paired with a crisp local white.
Includes: Watching the paper-thin dough stretched and filled by hand · Tasting the IGP focaccia straight from a blazing oven · Learning why the cheese must be fresh and the dough unleavened · Pairing with Pigato or Vermentino white wine
Cinque Terre Wine Tasting with Sciacchetra, Manarola
On the panoramic terrace of Nessun Dorma above Manarola's harbor, a guided tasting explores Cinque Terre DOC white wine - made from Bosco, Albarola, and Vermentino grown on the steep coastal terraces - alongside the prized Sciacchetrà, the ancient golden passito made from dried grapes. Tastings are accompanied by local bruschetta with pesto, anchovies, and Ligurian charcuterie, with sweeping views over the Ligurian Sea.
Includes: Tasting Sciacchetrà, one of Italy's rarest dessert wines · Understanding the heroic terraced viticulture of the Cinque Terre · Cinque Terre DOC whites paired with pesto bruschetta · Sunset views over Manarola's harbor
Cinque Terre E-Bike Vineyard Tour with Wine Tasting
An e-bike excursion that climbs the terraced slopes above the Cinque Terre villages, with the electric assist making the steep coastal roads accessible to most riders. The route winds among vineyard rows several hundred meters above the sea past Corniglia, Vernazza, and Manarola viewpoints, while the guide explains Ligurian terracing and vine cultivation, ending with a tasting of local wines and Ligurian specialties.
Includes: Panoramic vineyard riding high above the coastline · Electric assist making the heroic terraces accessible · Learning how dry-stone walls hold the vineyards in place · Tasting Cinque Terre wines with focaccia and pesto
Taggiasca Olive Oil Tasting, Riviera di Ponente
The Riviera di Ponente around Taggia and Imperia is the home of the Taggiasca olive, a small fruit prized for both eating and pressing into delicate, fruity extra-virgin oil. Experiences combine a tour of the olive groves on the terraced hills with a visit to a historic frantoio (mill), some dating from the late 1800s, and a guided comparative tasting of Riviera Ligure DOP and other oils, plus Taggiasca olives in brine.
Includes: Comparing DOP and non-DOP Riviera Ligure olive oils · Touring an ancient olive mill, some over a century old · Learning the story of the monks who brought the Taggiasca cultivar · Optional visit to the Olive Oil Museum in Imperia
Monterosso Anchovy & Seafood Tasting, Cinque Terre
Monterosso anchovies (acciughe di Monterosso) are considered among the finest in Italy, caught locally and either fried fresh or salt-cured in the village's small salting centers. A tasting walks through the traditional preparation - from sea to table - with samples of salted anchovies, anchovy pasta, and the classic anchovy-in-oil sandwich, paired with crisp Cinque Terre white wine. Monterosso celebrates the catch with its famous fried anchovy festival each June.
Includes: Tasting prized Monterosso salted anchovies · Learning the local salting tradition behind the town hall · Anchovy pasta and anchovy-in-oil sandwiches · Pairing with Cinque Terre DOC white
Sanremo Mercato Annonario Market Food Tour
The Mercato Annonario is Sanremo's vibrant covered food market, where locals shop for fresh produce, seafood from the Ligurian Sea, Taggiasca olives, local oils, herbs, cheeses, and ready-to-eat treats. A guided tasting tour introduces the key vendors and the specialties of the Riviera dei Fiori, from sardenaira (the local pizza-like flatbread) to Pigato and Vermentino wines from the western Riviera.
Includes: Sardenaira, the western Riviera's anchovy-and-tomato flatbread · Taggiasca olives and Riviera Ligure olive oil · Fresh local seafood and produce stalls · Pigato and Vermentino wines of the Ponente
San Fruttuoso & Camogli Seafood Boat Tasting
From the fishing village of Camogli, the Golfo Paradiso ferry crosses to the otherwise road-less cove of San Fruttuoso, home to a medieval Benedictine abbey wedged between cliffs and sea. The experience pairs the short, scenic crossing with a seafood lunch at a waterfront trattoria - fritto misto, anchovies, and local Ligurian white wine - in one of the most secluded settings on the Riviera.
Includes: Arriving at San Fruttuoso abbey by boat - the only easy way in · Fresh fritto misto at a cove-side trattoria · The fishing-village atmosphere of Camogli · Crystal-clear water for a swim before lunch
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Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Book tours and cooking classes at least a few days in advance — small-group experiences sell out quickly.
Come hungry — most food tours include 5-8 tastings.
Bring cash for unscheduled stops the guide may recommend.