Often overhyped but never overrated, the Riviera is perhaps the most glamorous place on earth. MATT CLARK travelled its length from France to Italy. Today he crosses the border.

HISTORICALLY speaking, we've been on the Italian Riviera since arriving at Nice, but 150 years ago the border was moved east of Menton and that means Ventimiglia is now our first town in Italy.

Oh dear; glamorous St Tropez and luminescent Antibes feel a world away here. The old town is interesting enough but the whole place feels jaded. Can this really be the coastline whose sirens lured the romantic poets?

Er, no, that's a short hop along the Gulf of Genoa. So without delay we set off first for Bordighera, which has been a favourite winter resort, for English visitors and retirees since the 19th century, when even Queen Victoria was a guest.

The first thing you notice is how less commercialised everything seems. In part it's an illusion, but instead of new builds Liguria is characterised by towns and villages with tall houses in pastel colours, some gloriously decorated with trompe l’oeil painting.

Bordighera has many gardens, an archaeological museum and a lovely old quarter. The town is also famous for its flowers and palms, which are used at St. Peter's, Rome on Palm Sunday. A museum contains a unique collection of Riviera flora.

Just down the coast is Sanremo, which perfectly illustrates the differences between the French and Italian Rivieras.

Many of the villages were built on steep hillsides to protect them from pirate raids and they invariably cluster around an elegant central church with painted spire. La Pigna, the oldest part of Sanremo, is a good example; its tiny streets and covered alleyways winding up the hill to the gardens and sanctuary at the top.

The grandest building in town is undoubtedly the casino, but the Ariston Theatre has a more interesting story. Since 1951 it has hosted the annual Sanremo Music Festival, an event that inspired the Eurovision Song Contest and for years the festival selected Italy's entry.

Another spectacular coast ride takes us to Finale Ligure, an elegant town with stunning beaches. Again it contrasts wildly with the Cote d'Azure, including the food, which is far better this side of the border. It improves even more, once you head east of Genoa, and nowhere more so than in the food halls of Rapallo.

Then there is Santa Margherita Ligure, which has everything a Riviera playground should have; palm trees, Belle Epoque hotels, a castle and a marina packed with yachts.

The fish market lends an air of authenticity and some of the best Ligurian focaccia can be found here. Top notch pesto too, even at the supermarket. The Genoese devised this wonderful basil paste to prevent scurvy among sailors.

In August the Ligurian coast is teeming with holidaymakers, but at the stroke of September they head home to leave that out of season feeling in their wake.

Nowhere more so than Portofino; the closest the Italian Riviera comes to St Tropez, but a lack of mooring for super yachts keeps the village's feet more firmly on the ground.

For a real flavour of La Dolce Vita head to the Cinque Terre villages; again go out of season to avoid the crowds. People argue over their favourites, but Vernazza and Manarola take some beating. Imagine Robin Hoods Bay in hot weather. And the colours sizzle too; from lush lemon to scorching scarlet. They make a particularly spectacular sight if you arrive by boat.

Indeed for many years that was the only way into the Cinque Terre. Now each of the villages has a train station with regular services running from Genoa and La Spezia.

This part of Italy boasts some of the best coastline hiking trails in the world, but the area is prone to landslides, so first check if the paths are open. Some require a pass.

Understandably such picturesqueness often draws suffocating crowds, but just around the corner is Lerici on the Bay of Spezia, the eastern end of the Italian Riviera.

Its popularity with Shelley and Lord Byron earned the bay a title of the Golfo dei Poeti. But today Lerici is hardly known outside Italy and that's a shame because it holds much of the same appeal as its more popular neighbours.

Two hundred and fifty miles from St Tropez, this part of the Riviera is a peaceful haven and couldn't be more different to the Cote d'Azure.

It was well worth making the journey.