Camogli, Italy

CAMOGLI was the "saltiest, roughest, most piratical little place" according to Dickens when he visited the town. Though it still has the "smell of fish, and seaweed, and old rope" that the author relished, it's had its rough edges knocked off since his day, and is now one of the most attractive small resorts along this stretch of the coast, with a pretty collection of colourful cottages stacked up on a steep hillside around a small harbour.

The town's name, a contraction of Casa Mogli (House of Wives), comes from the days when voyages lasted for years and the women ran the port while the men were away. Camogli supported a huge fleet of 700 vessels in its day, which once saw off Napoleon. The town declined in the age of steam, but has been reborn as a classy getaway without the exaggerated prices of further round the coast.