DIANO MARINA FOR RELAXATION (Diano Marina)

Member Name: Flindy

Product:	Diano Marina
Date:	24/04/01 (897 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very pleasant surroundings

Disadvantages: none

Diano Marina is situated a few miles south from the French Riviera resorts of Nice and Monaco, but is in Italy on the Riviera Del Fiori (Riviera of Flowers) and is just as favourable in terms of weather and scenery, but is perhaps a little less cosmopolitan, a little less hurried.

Popular with the British and Germans, it lies in a sweeping bay with very clean beaches, there is one public beach here which is free of charge and is perfectly ok, the others provide pristine sand and sun loungers with parasols for which you pay around £4, well worth it in my opinion.

A walk along the sea front is very pleasant, it is fringed with palm trees and benches so you can amble along at your own pace, resting here and there as the fancy takes you. There is no shortage of restaurants or café’s along the sea front, where you can sample the lovely ice creams or a reasonably priced meal.

There is actually a marina here, with yachts anchored, very interesting to see how the other half live.

Walk down one of the side streets and you have a pretty good selection of shops, fashion shops, chemists, banks, tobacconists, more café’s and of course the standard souvenir shops too.

The streets are lined with orange trees, and the pavements are wide, which makes for a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. There are plenty of hotels, none of the skyscraper type, all are small to medium sized, most are family run too so you do feel like an individual and not just a number.

The locals are very friendly and I found them to be very patient with my efforts at the Italian language.

In the old part of the town there is a lovely old church, and the walk is pleasant.

It is not the place to go if you want throbbing nightlife, although there is plenty going on in the evening, groups of singles may prefer somewhere a little more lively. I would rate it as an ideal spot for couples or families.

You can take a bus i
nto the nearby town of Imperia, which used to be the capital of the Italian Riviera, and you can purchase your bus tickets from most newsagents or tobacconist shops, the bus service is very good and frequent.

Imperia is worth a visit, typically Italian, with a fountain in the large central square, lots of shops and café’s, a few designer shops too, some with fabulous leather bags and shoes. The buildings are mostly in the old style, with shuttered windows and pastel coloured walls.

One last piece of advice, if you need a public convenience, you may not find any, as we discovered in Imperia. In Italy it seems the accepted thing to go into a café and have a coffee…..then you can use the loo! This probably varies from town to town, with the larger towns catering for your needs a little better.

Also, watch the traffic, it is pretty manic and you need to have your wits about you when crossing roads.

We travelled at the end of May last year and the weather was very good, in the 80's.
I would recommend this part of Italy for a holiday.

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