With its deep blue sea, green mountain backdrop and elegant hotels and villas,  this forgotten little seaside town on the Italian Riviera can certainly give big tourist hitters like Venice and Lake Como a run for their money.

But instead of being flooded with foreign tourists in the summer, the small historic town of Rapello is more popular with Italians than foreign visitors, possibly because it is much cheaper than some of its more ritzy neighbours along the Ligurian coast, like the celebrity bolthole and cruise ship must-see Portofino.