Dolceacqua

Dolceacqua in a day: suggested itinerary

• Morning: arrive in the Borgo for coffee and a michetta, then photograph the Ponte Vecchio from the riverbank and cross over to the Terra.
• Late morning: climb through the carruggi to the Castello dei Doria and its panoramic walkway.
• Lunch: local valley cooking in a village trattoria, with a glass of Rossese.
• Afternoon: walk down through the Scasasse to Sant’Antonio Abate and the Visionarium, then on to the Oratorio di San Sebastiano and the Chiesa di San Giorgio.
• Evening: a tasting in a wine cellar or sunset by the sea in Ventimiglia or Bordighera, a few minutes away by car.

With a second day you can head up to Apricale and Pigna or walk a stretch of trail through the vineyards and olive groves.

What to eat in Dolceacqua

Dolceacqua’s cooking is that of the western Ligurian hinterland: vegetables, herbs, olive oil, meat and pulses, with Rossese as the common thread.

• Rossese di Dolceacqua: the valley’s ruby-red wine, Liguria’s first DOC since 1972. It is made in Dolceacqua and other villages of the Val Nervia and surrounding area, and was a favourite of Napoleon.
• Michetta: the village’s own sweet, a soft sugar-coated brioche linked to a medieval legend. It is protected by a municipal designation and available all year round.
• Fresciöi: fritters made with salt cod, courgettes or apples, the stars of a summer food festival.
• Capra e fagioli: goat with beans, the valley’s most typical meat dish, slowly stewed.
• Extra virgin olive oil: made from Taggiasca olives, golden in colour and delicate in flavour.

Events in Dolceacqua

• Processione di San Sebastiano (January): on the Sunday closest to 20 January the confraternity carries a laurel tree decorated with coloured wafers in procession.
• Carugi in fiore (April): the village alleys fill with flowers around 25 April.
• Il Dolceacqua in piazza (July): Rossese tasting with the producers in Piazza Mauro; in 2026 it was held on 18 July, with 16 wineries.
• Sagra dei Fresciöi (late July or early August): in 2026 it was held on Saturday 1 August in Piazza Mauro.
• Festa della michetta (16 August): in the morning young people in costume tour the village with a small band and ask the girls beneath their windows for a michetta.
• Fireworks display (second half of August): musical fireworks over the castle that draw thousands of people.
• Market: organic produce, crafts and antiques on the last Sunday of every month.

Hiking and trails

Dolceacqua is a good base for walks through Rossese vineyards, olive groves and the villages of the valley. Mule tracks climb from the village to the church of San Bernardo and the sanctuary of the Madonna Addolorata on the surrounding hills. There are also multi-stage routes linking Dolceacqua with other villages of the western Riviera, such as the crossing from Airole, and higher up you can join the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri.

For cyclists there is the cycle path along the left bank of the Nervia, which takes you to the seafront at Ventimiglia in under 20 minutes, plus several routes for mountain bikes and e-bikes.

Day trips from Dolceacqua

• Rocchetta Nervina: the next village up the valley, with its stone bridges over the stream.
• Apricale: the village perched on a hilltop in the valley, with its square and stone alleys.
• Pigna: further up the Val Nervia, also reachable on bus line 7.
• Ventimiglia (about 10 km): the old town, the sea and the Friday market.
• Bordighera: palm trees, the old town and the spots painted by Monet.
• Seborga and Sanremo: the hilltop “principality” and the city of flowers.