Imperia

The Parasio is the medieval core of Porto Maurizio, built on the headland that closes off the bay. It is a tangle of caruggi (narrow alleys), stairways, arches and small squares with pastel-coloured houses, oratories and loggias opening onto the sea. From the top the view takes in the whole bay and both harbours.

To avoid walking all the way up you can use the inclined lifts that link the Parasio with the lower town: there are three of them and they make over half a million trips a year. In the old quarter you will also find the Oratorio di San Pietro, with its small three-part facade and 18th-century frescoes by Tommaso Carrega.

On the seaward side of the Parasio stretch the white loggias of the convent of Santa Chiara, founded in 1365 by the Poor Clare nuns. The present arches date from 1712 and are attributed to the Baroque painter Gregorio De Ferrari; they rest on the old town walls, built as a defence against pirates. On clear days you can see Corsica from here, and at sunset it is one of the most beautiful spots on the Riviera.

The convent is still home to cloistered nuns: the church and the parlours can be visited, while for special visits you need to contact the monastery. The loggias also host the Concerti delle Logge.

At the foot of the Parasio, in piazza del Duomo, stands the basilica of San Maurizio, the largest church in Liguria: about 3,000 square metres, with a dome that reaches about 48 metres at the top of the lantern. It was designed by Gaetano Cantoni and built in neoclassical style between 1781 and 1838; the facade has an eight-column portico between twin bell towers.

A bronze statue commemorates San Leonardo da Porto Maurizio, the Franciscan friar born here who in 1743, during a sermon, pointed out the site for the new church. He is the town’s patron saint. The Museo del Presepe (Nativity Scene Museum) is on the same square.

Below the headland, Borgo Marina is Porto Maurizio’s seafront district, with the marina, the Blue Flag beach and the promenade. Here you will find the old Hospice of the Knights of Malta, from the 13th century, where Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) stayed in 1343. A little further west is Borgo Foce, the old fishing village at the foot of the Parasio.

Calata Cuneo is the waterfront of Oneglia’s harbour: a long row of arcades topped by the colourful fishermen’s houses, between the short pier and the long pier, which stretches out slender towards the open sea. It is named after Giovan Battista Cuneo, born in Oneglia in 1809, a friend of Garibaldi and author of his first biography. Andrea Doria’s birthplace is also here.

Today the arcades are lined with restaurants, bars and cafés, and in the morning the fishermen sell their fresh catch. It is the place for dinner and an aperitivo, and for the Festa di San Giovanni at the end of June, with fireworks over the sea.

The centre of Oneglia revolves around piazza Dante, a neoclassical square from 1820, and the arcades of via Bonfante, which recall the towns of Piedmont: Oneglia belonged to the House of Savoy for a long time. Nearby stands the basilica of San Giovanni Battista, Oneglia’s “duomo”, designed by Gaetano Amoretti in late Baroque style and consecrated in 1762; since 2017 it has been a minor basilica.

In via Garessio, in Oneglia, the Carli family’s Olive Museum tells the story of olive oil across eighteen rooms: from fossils and the botany of the olive tree to the routes of olive growing around the Mediterranean, from production techniques to cosmetics, and a large collection of ancient oil lamps and containers. The garden has old trees, jars and antique oil presses.

Audio guides are available. The museum is usually closed on Sundays and Mondays: check the opening times before your visit.

On the Cascine hill above Oneglia, Villa Grock is the house that the Swiss clown Grock, real name Adrien Wettach, the “king of clowns”, had built and decorated to his own taste between 1927 and 1930. It is an eccentric building, with a tower, colonnades, stained glass and a park with palm trees, a pond, an exedra and a little bridge, full of symbols and references to the circus.

Since 2013 it has housed the Museo del Clown (Clown Museum), with fourteen interactive rooms devoted to clowning and to Grock’s memorabilia, including his giant shoes and his violin. History, the visit and practical tips are in the Villa Grock guide.

Since April 2025 the cycle and pedestrian path has crossed the whole of Imperia for about 9 kilometres, from the boundary with Diano Marina to that with San Lorenzo al Mare, largely on the old railway line along the sea. It is the best way to get from Oneglia to Porto Maurizio, and it continues west as far as Ospedaletti.

Since 20 June 2026 the “Incompiuta” has also been open: the stretch of about 900 metres below Capo Berta towards Diano Marina, with a viewpoint and a sun terrace. This makes the Ciclovia della Riviera dei Fiori continuous for almost 48 kilometres between Ospedaletti and Andora.