Alassio
The Muretto
Since the 1930s, Caffè Roma, on the corner of Via Cavour, has been one of the symbols of the tourist class, popular with all the artists and celebrities from the entertainment and art world who came down to the city. Almost fifty years ago its owner Mario Berrino had the idea of placing ceramic tiles on the wall of the nearby gardens of Piazza della Libertà near the town hall with the names of the famous people who frequented the place. Ernest Hemingway, a regular, was one of the first, together with the Quartetto Cetra, and the tiles with their autographs were attacked at night for fear of fines or protests. But the authorities also liked the idea ... It is now a game to look for the signatures of the rich and famous: Mina, Domenico Modugno, Fabrizio De Andrè, Valentino Rossi and many other cultural and show business stars from today and yesterday.
Sant’Ambrogio’s church
among the rich heritage of Alassio’s churches, the most important is the parish church of Sant’Ambrogio, on the square of the same name, it dates back to the 15th century but was built on an older church from the 10th century.
The Roman Road
which starting from the center of Alassio reaches Capo Santa Croce, where the 12th century church of the same name is perched in a splendid position overlooking the sea, and from there continues to Albenga along an archaeological walk.
The sanctuary of Madonna della Guardia
built on the remains of a medieval castrum built on a Roman statio, it is full of marine ex-votos and from its high position on Mount Tirasso offers a panoramic view of the city.
The little village of Solva,
high on the hill, with its fifteenth-century church of the Santissima Annunziata which preserves interesting frescoes that illustrate to the faithful the pains of hell and the capital vices according to usage, typical of the fifteenth century
in western Liguria, to recount the teachings of the church through images and frescoes understandable even by the many faithful who could not read and write.
Il Torrione
It happens to see towers or bastions along the Ligurian coast, most of the time abandoned or in ruins. Yet once their function was fundamental: sighting and defending the coast from fierce pirate raids. One example is that of Borgo Coscia in Alassio; built in the 16th century by the Genoese, it still dominates with its powerful circular shape in the heart of the Ligurian village.
Vegliasco’s tower
Among the towers we remember that of Vegliasco which appears on the city coat of arms: of ancient origins, its first owners were the Aleramo family (967). The tower, with its conical shape embellished at the top by a storm drain crown, is among the most beautiful in the entire territory, also a destination for frequent excursions.
Alassio’s train station
Built on a project by Engineer Manfredini with an art noveau central turret, decorations on the windows and part of the exposed stone cladding. The first-class waiting room was fully furnished with sofas, armchairs, furniture and mirrors of the time and retains a Murano glass chandelier.
L’isola Gallinara,
so called because of the wild hens that according to some Roman writers populated it in ancient times, it is now inhabited by herring gulls that nest on the steep southern cliff. Already home to a Benedictine monastery in the Middle Ages, today it is protected by a Regional Nature Reserve because it is one of the most intact places on the entire Riviera.
The gardens of Villa Pergola
www.giardinidivilladellapergola.com
