Imperia

Imperia is a tale of two towns: Porto Maurizio, the baroque-flavoured old port crowned by a noble hilltop quarter, and Oneglia, the hard-working olive-oil hub across the Impero river. Ringed by silver groves and blessed with a mild Riviera climate, this laid-back provincial capital rewards Slow Food appetites, church architecture and unhurried coastal cycling.

Why visit

Imperia suits travellers who prefer the Riviera’s working heart to its showroom fronts. The city offers real rewards: the Parasio, Porto Maurizio’s stacked old quarter, is one of the most atmospheric climbs on the western Riviera; the neoclassical concathedral crowns it above the sea; and the shore between the two centres strings together beaches, small harbours and promenade cafés. Food is a primary reason to come — this is often called the capital of olive oil, and its kitchens treat taggiasca oil as a seasoning, a philosophy and a source of pride. As a base, it is unbeatable value: a genuine city with rail connections, markets and space to breathe, minutes from the medieval villages of the Nervia valley.

Character and history

For centuries Porto Maurizio and Oneglia developed as separate towns with distinct temperaments — Porto Maurizio the older settlement with its religious foundations and seafaring aristocracy, Oneglia the commercial hub of the olive trade under the Savoy sphere. They were united by royal decree in 1923 into the single commune of Imperia, taking its name from the river that divided them. The union left a double centre that visitors can still read in the streetscape: convent loggias and domed churches on the west bank, the industrious oil town with its basilica on the east. The hills behind are a lattice of terraces, dry-stone walls and olive groves that define the landscape and the local identity in equal measure, a scenery the writer Francesco Biamonti evoked in his novels.

What to see

On the Parasio hill, the Concathedral of San Maurizio dominates Porto Maurizio with its classical dome above the old lanes; nearby lanes of the medieval quarter reward a slow wander. Across the river in Oneglia, the Basilica of St John the Baptist (Oneglia) anchors the eastern centre with one of the region’s most imposing domes. Above the city, the Sanctuary of Monte Calvario offers the best panorama over the two towns and the sea, while inland at Montegrazie the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces (Montegrazie) preserves one of the area’s oldest devotional sites. Between monuments, linger at the seafront quarters — Borgo Marina’s promenade, the little harbour of Borgo Foce — where the city relaxes into Riviera mode.

How to experience

Divide your stay between the two banks: morning in the Parasio, climbing through the old quarter to the concathedral; afternoon on the Oneglia side, tasting oils at the shops and delis that made the town’s name, or visiting the former villa of the clown Grock with its celebrated gardens when open. Rent a bicycle and follow the coastal cycle path, or ride into the olive groves on the marked country lanes — the city’s tourist portal, imperiaexperience.it, publishes the current network of walking and biking routes. Time a visit for the autumn oil season, when the new-press taggiasca appears in every shop, and check the IAT tourist office for event calendars and church visiting times, which vary through the year.

Practical planning

Imperia sits on the Genoa–Ventimiglia railway, with the main station in Oneglia, and the A10 motorway runs just inland; a car helps for the hill villages, though the city itself is easily managed on foot and by bike. The climate is among the mildest in Liguria, making spring, autumn and even winter pleasant; summer draws families to the beaches between the two centres. Many churches open only around service times, so plan monument visits loosely and confirm locally. Base yourself here for day trips west to Dolceacqua and Sanremo or east toward Alassio.

Nearby places

Up the Nervia valley, the medieval village of Dolceacqua with its castle and Monet-painted bridge is the essential inland excursion, while the resort towns of Sanremo and Bordighera line the coast to the west and the Riviera dei Fiori stretches along the shore between them.