Splashed with colour, oozing with style, the picturesque region of Liguria – also known as the Italian Riviera – has been leaving visitors smitten for centuries. Medieval poet Dante was inspired by the landscapes, Lord Byron swam across the Gulf of La Spezia (later christened the Gulf of Poets) to visit the Shelleys, and Rex Harrison triggered a rush of Hollywood stars to the region in the hedonistic 1950s. Who couldn’t fall in love with Liguria, where rainbow-hued houses and medieval streets overlook bewitching seascapes of craggy coves and azure water? Most jewel-like of all is Portofino, the pretty fishing village that lured Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner and Cary Grant in the 1960s and retains its unspoilt charm to this day. Cypress- and palm-clad hills back a jumble of ochre and terracotta houses by the waterfront. Beautiful villas dot the green hillsides. Dolphins can be glimpsed playing in the waters beyond the gleaming yachts. It’s here in this idyllic enclave that you’ll findHotel Splendido nestled in the hillside, and Splendido Mare down at the water’s edge. Welcome to our duo of dream hideaways