Ospedaletti borders Sanremo to the west and is a quieter town. A typical family seaside resort, it is enriched by the old motor racing track that hosted racing champions of the calibre of Nuvolari, Ascari, Fangio, Agostini and many more, all of whom are remembered today in the annual Historical Meeting.

Arma di Taggia, to the east, is a seaside town with a wealth of tourist attractions, nightspots and restaurants. It sits at the foot of the magical Argentina valley, with its history, legends and nature, stretching as far as the Alps and Liguria’s highest mountain, Saccarello.

Taggia and Valle Argentina are home to the Taggiasca PDO olive and the previously mentioned olive oil. Every town and village in Valle Argentina is worth visiting: Taggia, which, apart from the Taggiasca olive, has many convents, churches and medieval and Renaissance buildings; Badalucco, which has been awarded the Touring Club’s orange flag and is renowned for its olive oil, murals and the mid-September stockfish festival; Montalto, with its slate doorways; Carpasio and its Resistance museum; Triora is another magnificent medieval village, recognised as one of the most beautiful in Italy, known for the abuse perpetrated by the Inquisition against women accused of witchcraft, stories that can be explored at the local Ethnographic and Witchcraft Museum; and last but not least, Realdo and Verdeggia, two alpine villages of unique beauty situated below Mount Saccarello.

A little further east, inland from Sanremo, are the ruins of Bussana Vecchia that was destroyed by an earthquake in 1887. The village is now home to the workshops and studios of local and international artists and is a unique place capable of transporting visitors way back in time.

Ceriana dates back to the days of the Roman Empire, with traditions, customs and habits that have been handed down through the centuries to the present day. These include ancient songs, known to ethnomusicologists all over the world, which can be heard in the streets of the village during Easter Week. Ceriana is the town of the Brotherhoods which annually re-enact rituals of religious devotion, combining the sacred and the profane.

From Sanremo onwards, the hinterland is not specifically dedicated to the production of oil, although there are still some oil production facilities, but rather to the cultivation of flowers and ornamental plants. Carnations, roses, ranunculus, mimosa, broom and ruscus, are the varieties most grown, and this has led to Sanremo’s consideration as the centre of Italian flower production, the city of flowers. This has given the Italian Riviera the name of the Riviera dei Fiori. Countless terraces with greenhouses are visible, even from the motorway.

Behind Sanremo is Coldirodi, with the Rambaldi Picture Gallery at Villa Luca and the beautiful San Romolo park.