Rapallo is a highly developed resort town on the Italian Riviera, with an expanse of glass-fronted restaurants and plush hotels crowding around a south-facing bay.

Earlier this century it was a backwater, a place where writers – including  Max Beerbohm, Ezra Pound and D.H. Lawrence – came for the bay's extraordinary beauty. Ernest Hemingway also dropped by.

The resort's most striking landmarks are the large marina and the castle, now converted into an exhibition space, at the end of a small causeway.

Unlike most of the Tigullio resorts, Rapallo has an existence separate from its tourist trade, particularly around the old town.

The Santuario di Montallegro Church was founded in the 16th century, and has a superb setting overlooking a steep, green valley with views across the bay.