{"id":53488,"date":"2026-09-30T16:30:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkseagreen-rook-345411.hostingersite.com\/liguria\/laigueglia\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T21:35:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T21:35:39","slug":"laigueglia","status":"publish","type":"localita","link":"https:\/\/italian-riviera.com\/en\/riviera-di-ponente\/laigueglia\/","title":{"rendered":"Laigueglia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Laigueglia is a small fishing village on the Riviera di Ponente, in the province of Savona, squeezed between the beach and the old Via Aurelia coast road. It sits at the south-western end of the Baia del Sole, the bay that runs from Alassio<\/a> to the headland of Capo Mele. The old town is a strip of pastel houses, narrow lanes and little squares that open straight onto the sand, watched over by the two majolica-domed bell towers of the church of San Matteo.<\/p>\n

It is the smallest municipality in the province: 2.72 square kilometres and about 1,700 residents, only a few hundred of them in the historic centre. Laigueglia is one of the “Borghi pi\u00f9 belli d’Italia” (Italy’s most beautiful villages) and its sea was awarded the Blue Flag again in 2026. In the Middle Ages Catalan fishermen settled here to harvest coral off Capo Mele; in the 16th century the village was raided by Barbary pirates, which explains both the tower on the beach and the village’s best-known festival, the Sbarco dei Saraceni.<\/p>\n

Laigueglia works in two ways. It is a quiet base for a beach holiday, with the sand on your doorstep, a train station in the village and Alassio within walking distance. Or it is a half-day stop on a Riviera trip: old town, the chapel on the headland and the path up to Colla Micheri. Out of season it is a sleepy fishing village; in July and August it is full.<\/p>\n

What to see in Laigueglia<\/h2>\n
\"Laigueglia<\/figure>\n

You can walk the whole village in an hour or two. Distances are tiny: the station is a few minutes from the sea and everything lies between the Via Aurelia and the beach.<\/p>\n

Church of San Matteo<\/h3>\n
\"Baroque<\/figure>\n

The village landmark, visible from all around the bay. The first stone was laid in 1715 on the site of an older oratory; the church as you see it today is the result of work between 1754 and 1783, with restoration after the 1887 earthquake. The Baroque fa\u00e7ade is built on curved, projecting planes and framed by twin bell towers topped with colourful majolica domes.<\/p>\n

Inside, the church has a Latin-cross plan. Look for an Assumption attributed to Bernardo Strozzi, a marble holy-water stoup dated 1561 and a small wooden Ecce Homo by Anton Maria Maragliano, the great Genoese woodcarver. Saint Matthew is also the patron saint: his feast day is 21 September.<\/p>\n

Oratory of Santa Maria Maddalena<\/h3>\n

A few steps from the parish church, the oratory was built between 1616 and 1634 by the Disciplinanti confraternity. It holds a marble altar by Dionisio Corte (1673), an altarpiece by Domenico Piola (1676) and two sailors’ votive offerings from 1682 and 1715. Small, but a good insight into the village’s ties to the sea.<\/p>\n

The Torrione<\/h3>\n
\"Bastione<\/figure>\n

In the 16th century Laigueglia built three towers on the shore against pirate raids. Only one survives: the tower of 1564, also called the Bastione di Levante, standing on the beach next to the fishing boats. The other two were demolished, one to make way for the coast road and the other for Palazzo Rosso.<\/p>\n

The tower recalls the village’s darkest years. In 1543 Barbarossa’s fleet shelled Laigueglia from the sea, and in 1546 the corsair Dragut landed, sacked the houses and took hostages. That is the episode the village re-enacts every summer.<\/p>\n

The lanes and Via Dante<\/h3>\n

The old town is a grid of lanes running parallel and perpendicular to the sea. The main street, Via Dante, runs parallel to the beach and is the village’s living room, with shops, bars and trattorias. From the side lanes you step straight onto the sand or into small squares facing the water. This is what sets Laigueglia apart from many Riviera towns, where a road separates the houses from the beach.<\/p>\n

Palazzo Musso-Piantelli, from 1698, is the building that best preserves its original appearance. Via Dante is also where Gio Batta Libero Badar\u00f2 was born in 1798, a doctor who emigrated to Brazil and gave his name to the western promenade.<\/p>\n

The pier and the boat shed<\/h3>\n
\"Laigueglia<\/figure>\n

The pier is the easiest walk in town: you stroll out over the water and get the best view of the village and the San Matteo towers. Next to it, on the beach, are the fishing boats and the shed where the nets are mended. There is a free public beach by the pier, handy if you don’t want to rent a sunbed.<\/p>\n

Church of the Immacolata and the smaller churches<\/h3>\n

The church of the Immacolata Concezione, built in 1661, keeps votive offerings left by sailors and fishermen. The village also has the chapel of the Madonna del Carmine (1648) and the church of San Sebastiano in the cemetery, once the plague hospital.<\/p>\n

Sanctuary of Nostra Signora delle Penne<\/h3>\n

On a rock of Capo Mele, sheer above the sea, this little chapel was built in the 17th century by the Catalan coral fishermen. Its name comes from an inscription at the base of the Madonna statue. A long flight of steps climbs to it from the Via Aurelia, on the Andora<\/a> side of town. Every 5 August a ceremony is held here for sailors and fishermen.<\/p>\n

Capo Mele and the lighthouse<\/h3>\n

The headland closes the bay to the west. At the top are the lighthouse, first lit in 1856, with a 25-metre tower and a range of 24 nautical miles, and an Italian Air Force weather station. The lighthouse belongs to the Navy and cannot be visited, but the paths on the headland give you views over the whole Baia del Sole as far as Gallinara island.<\/p>\n

Colla Micheri<\/h3>\n

Above Laigueglia, at about 160 metres, is a tiny medieval hamlet of stone houses on the route of the Roman Via Iulia Augusta. It belongs to the municipality of Andora, but from Laigueglia it is less than an hour’s walk. In 1958 the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl, of Kon-Tiki fame, settled here, restored the houses in their original style and died here in 2002. His ashes rest in the village. The full route with Capo Mele and the chapel is in our guide Colla Micheri and Capo Mele on foot<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Beaches in Laigueglia<\/h2>\n
\"Laigueglia<\/figure>\n

Laigueglia’s beach is sandy and runs without a break in front of the village, from Capo Mele towards Alassio. The water stays shallow for a long way, which is why families with small children like it. In 2026 the Blue Flag was confirmed for the eastern shoreline.<\/p>\n