Apricale makes a brilliant base to explore the Italian and French Rivieras. The village is a labyrinth of narrow cobblestone, partly covered streets and steps and is for pedestrians only, except for the 3 wheelers that are used to supply the shops. The piazza is breathtakingly beautiful, and in summer one can enjoy dinner in one of the excellent restaurants there, or just relax with a drink and take in the amazing surroundings.

There are food and gift shops in the centre and the castle on top of the village hosts excelent art exhibitions like Picasso, Miro. Casa delle Damigiane has been completely restored in 2002 and great care has been taken to perserve its "old" charm but with todays comforts. It consists of a well equipped kitchen and romatic bedroom. There is a "middleroom" with "daybed". A shower room, a livingroom with a convertable sofa, diningtable, a TV/DVD and a hifi system. All ceilings are vaulted and the balcony has stunning views over the valley and river. The newly installed central heating makes it more suitable for off season rentals. There are many towns nearby well worth exploring. Montecarlo, Nice, Cannes, San Remo, Bordighera, also many villages deserve a visit.

Dolceaque is one of them with its beautiful Roman bridge once painted by Monet. Many good restaurants are to be found in and around Apricale. The nearest beach with some lovely restaurants is 12 kms. In winter one can go skiing in Limone 1 1/2 hrs drive away. The nearby airport of Nice is served by quite a few low-cost airlines and Ryanair flies into Genoa a 2 hr. drive away. This part of Liguria has a very temperate climate all year round, with very mild winters which explains the coastline with thousands of palmtrees.