The Italian (or Ligurian) Riviera, extending from the border with France at its western extremity to the five picturesque villages that make up the fabled Cinque Terre, now a UN World Heritage Site, for over a 100 years has been a Celebrity Hotspot, while also drawing 5 Million visitors a year.
 
It is interesting that the French Riviera ,too  not too long ago was part of Italy. In 1271,the Grimaldis of Genoa  took power in Monaco, Antibes and Nice .In 1388, the city of Nice and its surrounding territory, from the mouth of the Var to the Italian border, were separated from Provence and came under the protection of the House of Savoy until 1860. when the French Riviera was ceded to the French in return for military support vs Austria.     The events that led up to that "betrayal" was: 
 
To set the stage: Italian Re Unification  process began in 1815 with the Congress of Vienna and the end of Napoleonic rule, and ended sometime around 1871 with the Franco-Prussian War. The last citt? irredente   did not join the Kingdom of Italy until after World War I
Two of the more pronounced events in a long series of events were the  First and Second Italian War of Independence 

In the First Italian War of Independence was fought in 1848 between the Kingdom of Sardinia (the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and the Papal States) and the Austrian Empire. But outmanned by more than Three to One the Italians were defeated. 

In the Second War of Italian Independence, in 1959 Camillo Benso, Conte di Cavour, the prime minister of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, recognizing that he could not defeat Austria without a strong Ally, signed a secret treaty of alliance against Austria: ("Pact of Plombi?res").France would help Sardinia to fight against Austria if attacked, and Sardinia would then give Nice and Savoy to France in return. This secret alliance served both countries: it helped with the Sardinian (Piedmontese) plan of unification of the Italian peninsula under the House of Savoy, and weakened Austria, a fiery adversary of Napoleon III's French Empire. 

Cavour, being unable to get the French help unless the Austrians attacked first, provoked Vienna with a series of military manoeuvers close to the border. Austria issued an ultimatum on April 23, 1859, asking for the complete demobilization of the Sardinian army, and when it was not heeded Austria started a war with Sardinia (April 29), thus drawing France into the conflict. 

However, On July 11, Napoleon III met privately with Franz Joseph at Villafranca, without the knowledge of his Piedmontese allies. Together, the two agreed on the outlines of a settlement to the conflict. Thus France gained important territories with minimal investment, and substantial treachery, but Italy gained the core upon which it could build the ReUnification. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_unification

The International Business Review; Tuesday, March 22, 2011 
 

Around 100 years ago Sanremo drew Europe?s aristocracy and the likes of Tchaikovsky, who finished his Fourth Symphony here in the late 1870s and Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who passed away in the resort in 1896.

Half a century on it was to Portofino, some 120 miles along the same coast, to which Hollywood icons Frank Sinatra, Brigitte Bardot and Liz Taylor flocked. Today the faces are those of Cruise, Clooney and Washington.

In other words, the coast of Liguria in Italy has down the years exuded the type of star quality that to this day attracts more than five million people yearly, making it among Italy?s most visited areas and a favourite for property in Italy buyers. With good reason. 

For one, the region overlooks a majestic 170-mile coastline also called the Italian (or Ligurian) Riviera, extending from the border with France at its western extremity to the five picturesque villages that make up the fabled Cinque Terre, now a UN World Heritage Site.

Stef Russo, who runs Italian property finders The Property Organiser, points out: "This region is surpassed only by perhaps Tuscany when it comes to parts of the country most requested by our clients. On top of the Cinque Terre, its beaches and scenic mountainsides, Monte Carlo is just a leisurely drive away, there are ski slopes in 45 minutes away in Piedmont, while it is served by two airports in Genoa and Nice."

The costliest areas are probably Alassio, Bordighera, Portofino and the Cinque Terre. Bear in mind you pay a premium if you are set on overlooking the sea. The housing market is kept buoyant by well-heeled Italians, Swiss and French. As a ballpark figure you will be asked for in the region of Euro 410,000 for a flat within walking distance of the beach and up to two and a half times that for a sea-view villa in a similar location.

Source: Stock Markets Review

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/125361/20110322/
italy-s-ligurian-coast-is-new-celeb-property-hotspot.htm
 
 

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