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Located in a magnificent position, Imperia owes its name to the river Impero, that separates Oneglia from Porto Maurizio, which once were rival villages but are today merged in a sole municipality. Porto Maurizio, clung to the Parasio promontory, already in the Middle Ages a vital economic and trade center, owned by the Benedictine monks, was in the past a free commune.
Oneglia, instead, founded after the year one thousand, feud of the bishop of Albenga, subsequently sold to the Genoese family of the Dorias, in 1576 was assigned to the Savoias. Through the centuries, the rivalry between these two centers was expressed through a highly commercial competition, the rights of feud between the families, the different administrative organization, due to the loyalty of Porto Maurizio to the Genoese and Oneglia to the Savoias. The overcoming of this rivalry dates back to 1923 and finds evidence in the municipality palace that was built on an equidistant location on the road that unites the two centers.
At the mouth of the stream Impero, on a small flatland, there is Oneglia, the site of important industries in the field of the Mediterranean diet. In the very central Via Bonfante, with its porticoes and the adjacent Isnardi and degli Orti galleries, are to be found the most elegant shops in the city. In the middle of the nineteenth century town, there is Piazza Dante, which is faced by the former municipality palace. Along the marina, right at the back of the harbor, there is the "old Oneglia", with its ancient fishermen houses and the Doria Palace (formerly lords of the city. The great Genoese admiral Andrea Doria was born here). At the eastern border of the city, in Via Palestro, near Piazza Ulisse Calvi, the remains of seventeenth century city walls, built following the wish of the Savoias. Not too far away, there is the eighteenth century complex of the Scolopi Fathers, sided by the church of the Annunziata, with its neo-classic frontal. The most attractive part of the city is the one that extends on the slopes of cape Berta, a promontory in the sea that hides the Casa Rossa (Red House), formerly the residence of the poet Angiolo Silvio Novaro, in a vegetation of palm, cypress and olive trees.
Coming back to town, in Via San Giovanni and Via dell'Ospedale (the road to Castelvecchio), one must pay a visit to the shops specialized in local gastronomy (typical dish, the "bouilla-basse", a soup of rockfish, fished locally). In Piazza Doria, the covered market and the twice-a-week local market attract the people of the valleys. At Borgo Peri, under the arcades of the quay there are fish shops and excellent fish restaurants. One must also take a walk along the sea front adorned with tall African palm trees. One can enjoy from the end point of the eastern pier a view over the entire gulf of Imperia and the mountains lying behind. On the hill of the Cascine there is villa Grock (the original residence of the Swiss clown Adrien Wettach, of worldwide renown) and here one is induced to make an excursion to the little church of San Luca to admire the Mongioje mountain range. Another stop of real interest is the Museum of the Olivo in Via Garessio to learn about the century-old history of the olive oil and its production.
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Clung to the promontory of Parasio, the ancient town of Porto Maurizio is a tangle of street and little winding alleys, all going uphill. The medieval nucleus of Parasio offers an unmatchable view over the gulf of Imperia and evocative glimpses from the loggias of Santa Chiara, placed perpendicularly over the sea, at the border of the ancient town walls. Close by are the oratory and the house where San Leonardo was born (an ardent Franciscan preacher, today patron saint of the city of Imperia) and San Pietro's oratory, with its baroque frontal. In neo-classic style, instead, is the Cathedral dedicated to San Maurizio, a grandiose building erected between 1781 and 1838, and outside of the historical center.
At the foot of Parasio, there are the ancient villages of Marina and Foce, parks, villas and well equipped bathing establishments. Here the Mediterranean brushwood finds its best "habitat", marrying demands and needs of modern tourism with the enjoyment as well of a vacation in the open air: camping, tourism villages, tennis courts, soccer fields, bowling lanes and swimming pools.
The century-old wedding of Porto Maurizio with the sea is renewed, every two years, in its marina by means of the renowned and waited-for international event of the Vele d'Epoca and it is being confirmed as well by the important naval museum in Piazza del Duomo.
At Borgo Marina, the little marina is near one of the most beautiful and famous beaches of the Riviera, the Spiaggia d'Oro (Golden Beach). Not too far away, at the eastern end of Porto Maurizio, there is Borgo Prino with its typical restaurants where the best of the local cooking can be savored. |
Browse through the most evocative pictures of Imperia
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Hamlets:
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How to get there: Percorrendo l'autostrada dei Fiore A10 uscire al casello di Imperia Est se si vuole raggiungere Imperia-Oneglia; proseguire e uscire al casello di Imperia Ovest se si vuole raggiungere Imperia-Porto Maurizio. |
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Distance from motorway: A 10
Km 3 |
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Tourist Information Office
Viale Matteotti, 37 - 0183 660140 - 0183 666510
infoimperia@visitrivieradeifiori.it |
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Town Hall contact details
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Address:
Viale Matteotti, 157
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Post code: 18100
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Tel.: 0183 7011
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Facsimile: 0183 290691
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Email:
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Web Site: www.comune.imperia.it
Facts and figures
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Population: (source ISTAT December 1999)
40293
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Area: Km2
45
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Altitude: mt
10
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