Church of Sant’Ampelio

At the southernmost point of Liguria and of all northern Italy stands the small and atmospheric church of Sant’Ampelio, built in the 11th century in Romanesque style.

Above the altar is a 17th-century statue of Sant’Ampelio, to whom the church is dedicated and who is the patron saint of Bordighera. You can often visit the crypt beneath the church, where according to tradition the saint lived for 17 years after arriving from the Thebaid in Egypt, bringing with him the date stones from which Bordighera’s palms grew.

From the church of Sant’Ampelio you can walk along the Lungomare Argentina, at 2 km the longest pedestrian promenade on the Riviera di Ponente, named in honour of Evita Perón, who inaugurated it in 1947.

Tip: come at sunset. The light reflecting off the rocks below the little church is the same spectacle that captivated Monet.

The little church of Sant’Ampelio is the symbol of Bordighera and stands at the southernmost point of all Liguria and all northern Italy.

This spot, together with the rocks just below, is dear to everyone in Bordighera.

There is a long waiting list for couples who want to get married here, but the wait is definitely worth it.

Beneath the church is a hidden crypt where the town’s patron saint lived: it is often possible to visit it.