Lingueglietta

Medieval hamlet of Cipressa: fortified church of San Pietro, castle ruins, sculpture park. How to get there, where to eat, bus.

Lingueglietta vista dalla campagna

Area: Riviera dei FioriRiviera di Ponente · Province of Imperia
Ideal for: Anyone wanting a small quiet villagephotography, art and a half-day stop from the coast
Beaches: None in the villagethe sea is about 6 km away (San Lorenzo al Mare)
Best time to go: April–June and September–Octoberavoid midday in summer
By train: Imperia station, then a car or Riviera Trasporti bus line 20weekdays only) ⚠️
By car: A10 exit Imperia Ovest, Aurelia road to San Lorenzo al Mare, then uphillcentre on foot
Airport: Genoaabout 125 km) · Nice Côte d'Azur (about 1 h 30) ⚠️
How long to stay: 2–3 hours for the villagehalf a day with lunch, the sculpture park or a walk

Find a place to stay Getting there See on the map

Welcome to Lingueglietta

Lingueglietta

Lingueglietta is a medieval village on a ridge of the San Lorenzo Valley, inland from Imperia, at about 320 metres above sea level. Many travel sites skip one detail: it is not a municipality but a hamlet (frazione) of Cipressa. Until 1928 it was an independent comune, then it was merged into Cipressa. That is why maps and searches usually show the two names together.

The village is small: a handful of stone houses, lanes on different levels linked by ramps, vaults and arches, and a little square with a view over the valley and the sea. The sources disagree on the number of residents, so we do not give one. Lingueglietta belongs to the “Borghi più belli d’Italia” association, and its landmark is the fortified church of San Pietro, a 13th-century church fortified in the 16th century against pirate raids.

Plan on two or three hours, or half a day if you add lunch, the sculpture park “Tra i Mondi” or a walk. There is no beach in the village: the coast is about 6 km away by road, around San Lorenzo al Mare. Getting here without a car is awkward, and the bus section below explains why.

By Italian Riviera editorial team·Updated on October 15, 2026·8 min read

Where is Lingueglietta?

Lingueglietta is in Liguria (Riviera di Ponente, Riviera dei Fiori, province of Imperia).

Boundaries: ISTAT, Natural Earth · Interactive map →

What to see

What to see in Lingueglietta

You can walk the village in a few hours. The houses on the edge of the cliff act as a wall: there is no real city wall, the rock did the defending. Lanes climb and have steps, so wear sturdy shoes. There is no set route; the order below goes from the fortified church towards the upper part, where the parish church and the ruins are.

La chiesa-fortezza di San Pietro a Lingueglietta

The fortified church of San Pietro

This is the village’s main monument, in Piazza San Pietro. The church dates from the mid-13th century and has a semicircular apse in late Romanesque forms. In the 16th century it was turned into a fortress to protect the inhabitants from Saracen pirates: high walls with loopholes, a patrol terrace, corner lookouts and openings for pouring boiling oil. According to the Chamber of Commerce of the Riviere di Liguria it is the only surviving example in Liguria of a church altered for war; other sources simply say it is one of very few.

You can see it from outside at any time. To go in, ask the Comune di Cipressa (+39 0183 98005): there are no confirmed opening hours. Details and practical questions are in our guide to the fortified church of San Pietro.

La chiesa della Natività di Maria Vergine a Lingueglietta

Parish church of the Nativity of Mary

It stands at the top of the village. The core is 13th-century; the facade and portal were reworked later and the interior is Baroque, with paintings and stucco. A side altar holds the relics of Saint Clement, placed here in 1762. Do not confuse it with Cipressa’s parish church, which is the Visitation.

Check with the Comune before climbing up. On 27 March 2024 part of a wall behind the nearby oratory collapsed, services were suspended and the lane was closed; we found no official news of a reopening, so we cannot promise you will get in. The facade and the square can be seen anyway.

La piazza e il campanile di Lingueglietta

The square and the bell tower

In front of the parish church is the panoramic little square, with benches and a view over the San Lorenzo Valley and the sea. It is a good place for a ten-minute stop, especially late in the day. From here you also see the castle ruins on the spur behind.

Ruins of the Lengueglia castle

The village is named after the feudal Lengueglia family, who built their castle here in the 13th century. Only a few remains survive on a spur above the parish church: do not expect towers or whole walls. Still, this is where Lingueglietta began, and it is mentioned with certainty in 1153.

The loggia and the stone measures

Under the arch of the town loggia are three stone measures, used for oil, wine and grain, and the rod for measuring cloth. It is a small detail that shows how a medieval village market worked. It costs you no time: you walk past it.

The oratories of San Rocco and the Annunciation

The oratory of the Santissima Annunziata, next to the parish church, is 17th-century with 18th-century stucco and marble. The oratory of San Rocco stands outside the built-up area and dates from the late 16th or early 17th century. Both are visited by appointment through the Comune. Saint Roch’s feast is on 16 August.

Tra i Mondi, the sculpture park

“Tra i Mondi” is a sculpture park by the German artist Carin Grudda, started in 2001 with her husband Günter Gerberding. Large bronzes stand among olive trees and terraces, with a studio and a pond. Visits are by appointment on +39 0183 91242. The opening hours found on blogs are old and contradictory, so call first. We have no confirmation of an entrance fee.

Where to stay

Where to stay in Lingueglietta

There are no hotels in the village: only a few holiday houses, B&Bs and apartments, mostly along Via San Rocco. Availability changes, so check with exact dates. More options, from guesthouses to farm stays, are in Cipressa, Costarainera and Piani di Cipressa.

For a wider choice of hotels, sleep on the coast, in San Lorenzo al Mare, Imperia or Diano Marina, and come up to Lingueglietta for the day. It is also the easiest solution if you want to stay near the train and the sea.

See hotels and prices

Getting there

How to get to Lingueglietta

By car

Leave the A10 at Imperia Ovest, take the Aurelia road to San Lorenzo al Mare and follow the signs for Lingueglietta, uphill on a provincial road. From the toll gate it takes about 20–25 minutes. This is the most practical way.

By train

The useful station is Imperia, on the Genoa–Ventimiglia line. The San Lorenzo–Cipressa stop has been closed since 2001. From Imperia station it is about 20–25 minutes by car, or a bus.

By bus

Riviera Trasporti line 20 (Imperia Oneglia – San Lorenzo – Costarainera – Cipressa, with a branch to Lingueglietta) runs on weekdays only: no service on Sundays and public holidays. There are few runs a day, designed for school and residents, and the timetable changes with the season (the winter timetable is valid from 14 September 2026 to 13 June 2027). Read the current table on the Riviera Trasporti website. For a visitor a car is usually better.

By air

The reference airports are Genoa (about 125 km) and Nice Côte d’Azur (about an hour and a half by road).

Parking

The centre is largely pedestrian and you explore it on foot. Leave the car at the edge of the village or in the church square, and do not drive in with a large vehicle. We have no confirmed number of spaces or fees.

Lingueglietta43.8678, 7.9308

Open in Google Maps →Interactive map →

By car

A10 exit Imperia Ovest, Aurelia road to San Lorenzo al Mare, then uphill; centre on foot

By train

Imperia station, then a car or Riviera Trasporti bus line 20 (weekdays only) ⚠️

By plane

Genoa (about 125 km) · Nice Côte d'Azur (about 1 h 30) ⚠️

The guide

Things to do in Lingueglietta

You come here to walk, look, take photos and eat slowly. There are no beaches, no nightlife and no shops: bring the essentials and shop on the coast.

Walks

The San Lorenzo Valley tourism pages list three walking routes touching the village: Civezza–Lingueglietta, Lingueglietta–San Lorenzo al Mare and Torre Paponi–Lingueglietta. Official lengths and times are not published, so ask before you set out.

From Cipressa: about an hour on foot, gently uphill; the road is 4.5 km. This figure comes from a walking blog, not an official source.
Towards San Lorenzo al Mare: a steep mule track downhill between greenhouses and olive trees, then a stretch under the motorway viaduct, which is not pleasant. You have to climb back up: allow half a day and carry water.

Cycling is possible, but it is about 6 km of uphill provincial road from the coast: an e-bike helps.

Events and feasts

The village keeps a calendar of religious and local feasts. In April it takes part in “8 Borghi in Festa” of the San Lorenzo Valley (in 2026 it ran from 4 to 6 April). May has Saint Clement, June the lavender festival “Il Paese in Blu”, 16 August Saint Roch, 8 September the Nativity of Mary. Future dates are not confirmed: check with the Comune.

What to eat in Lingueglietta

The cooking is that of inland Imperia: Taggiasca olive oil, frisciöi (vegetable fritters), farinata with spring onions and artichokes, rabbit, wild boar, and sweets such as fugassa and lavender biscuits. We found no verified olive mill open to visitors here; for oil see our guide to Dolcedo.

Two places in the village are verified:

Da Ü Titti: a traditional trattoria with a view, in Via Dolmetta. We have no confirmed hours or prices: phone or ask locally.

For lunch or dinner there is the trattoria Da Ü Titti: book ahead.

Nearby: Cipressa

A few kilometres away is Cipressa, the main town of the comune, often mixed up with the village. Cipressa, not Lingueglietta, has the Visitation parish church, the 16th-century Gallinara tower and Villa Biener with its art garden. Cipressa has no museum. Opening of the tower and the villa is not confirmed: check with the Comune.

Day trips from Lingueglietta

Distances below are as the crow flies; by road they are longer.

San Lorenzo al Mare, about 4 km: beach and the seafront cycle path.
Santo Stefano al Mare, about 4 km, on the coast.
Dolcedo, about 5 km: the olive-oil valley.
Arma di Taggia, about 7 km.
Imperia, about 8 km: station, the Olive Museum, Oneglia and Porto Maurizio.
Diano Marina, about 13 km.
Sanremo, about 14 km, and Cervo, about 15 km.
Andora, about 20 km.

Weather

Weather and best time to visit Lingueglietta

April–June and September–October; avoid midday in summer

🌙

17°CNow · wind 8 km/h

Thu 15🌫️17° 16°
Fri 16☁️22° 14°
Sat 17🌦️22° 14°1 mm
Sun 18🌧️18° 14°13 mm
Mon 19☁️21° 15°2 mm
Tue 20☀️21° 17°

Forecast: MET Norway (Yr), CC BY 4.0 licence. Updated hourly.

Lingueglietta weather: 10-day forecast and climate →

Weather across Liguria →

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea	Off season	Off season	Off season	Off season	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible	Off season	Off season	Off season
Sightseeing and hiking	Possible	Possible	Good	Ideal	Ideal	Ideal	Good	Good	Ideal	Ideal	Good	Possible
Crowds	Quiet	Quiet	Few people	Few people	Few people	Few people	Busy	Busy	Few people	Few people	Quiet	Quiet
Don't miss				8 Borghi in Festa	Saint Clement	Lavender festival		Saint Roch (16 Aug)	Nativity of Mary (8 Sep)

IdealGoodPossibleOff season

Crowds:QuietFew peopleBusyVery busy

Gallery

Photos of Lingueglietta

Il portale della chiesa di Lingueglietta

Il fianco della chiesa-fortezza di San Pietro

Le mura della chiesa-fortezza di San Pietro

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Lingueglietta

Is Lingueglietta a municipality?

No, it is a hamlet of Cipressa. It was an independent comune until 1928.

Where is Lingueglietta?

In the San Lorenzo Valley, inland from Imperia: about 4 km from Santo Stefano al Mare, 8 from Imperia and 13 from Diano Marina, all as the crow flies.

How long does a visit take?

Two or three hours for the village. Half a day if you add lunch, the sculpture park or a walk.

Can you go inside the fortified church of San Pietro?

You can always see it from outside. To enter, ask the Comune di Cipressa (+39 0183 98005): there are no confirmed hours.

Is the parish church open?

We cannot say. After the wall collapse of 27 March 2024 services were suspended and we found no news of a reopening: check with the Comune.

Is there a city wall?

No. The houses on the cliff edge acted as a natural defence.

Are there beaches?

No. The nearest sea is at San Lorenzo al Mare, about 6 km by road.

How do I get there without a car?

By train to Imperia and then Riviera Trasporti line 20, which runs on weekdays only with few runs. Check the timetable before you leave.

Where can I eat?

Da Ü Titti (trattoria). Book ahead.

When is the best time to go?

April to June and September to October. In summer avoid the middle of the day.

Nearby

What to see near Lingueglietta

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