Introduction to Rapallo

When you step out of Rapallo's busy train station, you may be put off by the traffic, the blocks of banal apartment houses, and the runaway development that in some places has given the resort the look of any other busy town. Keep walking, though, because at its heart Rapallo remains a gracious old seaside playground and port, and it's easy to see what drew the likes of Ezra Pound, Max Beerbohm, and D. H. Lawrence to take up residence here. Most of the town follows the sweep of a pretty harbor guarded by a medieval castle, and the gracious seafront promenade is cheerfully busy day and night, mostly with families.