Bordighera Alta (Citta Vecchia)

Bordighera Alta is the old fortified quarter above the later seaside resort. Its caruggi, supporting arches and small squares preserve a compact urban fabric within an irregular pentagonal wall circuit.

Why it matters

The upper town represents an earlier phase of Bordighera's development, distinct from the villas and gardens associated with its international resort history. Its close-set houses and historic entrances retain the scale of a fortified coastal community.

What to notice

Painted facades are linked by arches spanning the narrow lanes. The historic gates include Porta del Capo, Porta Soprana and Porta Sottana, each recording changes to the enclosure. Santa Maria Maddalena on Piazza del Popolo adds a larger religious building to the otherwise tightly grouped streets; its white and polychrome marble altar belongs to the later enrichment of the parish church.

Context and history

The late-medieval enclosure was strengthened in the sixteenth century. Porta Sottana dates to 1470 with later Baroque remodelling, while Porta Soprana was opened in 1780. A larger parish church was developed in the early seventeenth century and enriched in the eighteenth. These successive additions show that the old quarter evolved over time rather than remaining an untouched medieval ensemble.