{"id":53738,"date":"2026-09-30T16:31:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkseagreen-rook-345411.hostingersite.com\/liguria\/ventimiglia\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T19:59:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T19:59:59","slug":"ventimiglia","status":"publish","type":"localita","link":"https:\/\/italian-riviera.com\/en\/riviera-di-ponente\/ventimiglia\/","title":{"rendered":"Ventimiglia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ventimiglia is the last Italian town before France. It stands at the mouth of the river Roia, at the far western end of Liguria, in the province of Imperia. It has around 23,000 inhabitants and two quite distinct sides. Down below is the modern town, with the seafront, the railway station and the big Friday market that draws people from all over the C\u00f4te d’Azur. On the hill across the river is Ventimiglia Alta, the medieval old town enclosed by its walls.<\/p>\n

History here goes back a very long way. In the Balzi Rossi caves, right on the border, remains of Palaeolithic people have been found; on the Nervia plain stood Albintimilium, the Roman town whose theatre and baths still survive. The name Ventimiglia actually comes from Albintimilium, “chief town of the Intemelii”, the Ligurian people who lived in the area: the story about it being “twenty miles” from the border is only a legend.<\/p>\n

It is worth coming for the Hanbury Gardens, one of the most famous botanical gardens in Europe, for an old town that sees few tourists, for the sandy beach at Le Calandre and for its location: Menton is a quarter of an hour away, Monaco about half an hour and Nice less than an hour by train.<\/p>\n

What to see in Ventimiglia<\/h2>\n

The sights fall into three areas: the old town on the hill, the lower town with the Nervia archaeological area, and the coast towards the border, with the Hanbury Gardens and the Balzi Rossi. To see everything at a relaxed pace you need two days.<\/p>\n

Ventimiglia Alta<\/h3>\n
\"Houses<\/figure>\n

The medieval town grew up from the 8th century onwards, when the inhabitants left the Roman town on the plain and moved to the hill across the Roia, which was easier to defend. It remained the heart of town life until the 19th century, when the arrival of the railway shifted development down the hill. Today it is one of the oldest historic centres in Liguria, still lived in and largely untouched by tourism.<\/p>\n

You walk up from the river along narrow lanes, stepped streets and covered passageways. The main street is via Garibaldi, lined with noble palazzi with stone doorways, oratories such as the Oratorio dei Neri, and the 16th-century Casa Biancheri. The old town is also home to the Murru de B\u00f6, a small photography museum. From the highest points you can see the coast all the way to France.<\/p>\n

Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta and Baptistery<\/h3>\n
\"Cathedral<\/figure>\n

The Romanesque cathedral of the Assunta, built between the 11th and 12th centuries, is the main monument of Ventimiglia Alta. It has a plain stone fa\u00e7ade with a fine doorway and an intimate interior. Next to it stands the octagonal baptistery dedicated to St John the Baptist, which still has the ancient font for baptism by immersion.<\/p>\n

Chiesa di San Michele<\/h3>\n
\"Church<\/figure>\n

The church of San Michele was built in the 10th century on the orders of the Counts of Ventimiglia. Collapses and rebuilding have changed its appearance, but the interior still has a medieval atmosphere and preserves reused Roman elements, a sign of the link between the ancient town and the medieval one.<\/p>\n

Porta Canarda<\/h3>\n
\"Porta<\/figure>\n

Porta Canarda is a 13th-century fortified gate with Gothic arches, one of the old entrances to the walled town. It is one of the most photographed spots in Ventimiglia, especially in the evening when it is lit up.<\/p>\n

Biblioteca Aprosiana<\/h3>\n
\"Reading<\/figure>\n

The Biblioteca Aprosiana was founded in 1648 by Father Angelico Aprosio, an Augustinian friar born in Ventimiglia, and is considered the first public library in Liguria. In 1653 Pope Innocent X recognised its importance. The historic collection, with valuable 17th-century texts, is at via Garibaldi 10, a minute from Porta Nuova. It can only be visited on certain days of the week: check the opening times on the town council’s tourism website.<\/p>\n

Forte dell’Annunziata and Archaeological Museum<\/h3>\n
\"Fortezza<\/figure>\n

The fortress on the rocks, dating from the Genoese and Napoleonic periods, stands by the sea on the edge of the old town. Inside is the MAR, the Civic Archaeological Museum named after Girolamo Rossi, the historian who studied the Roman town. Its rooms display finds from the Intemelian area and from the Roman town. Check the opening times on the museum’s website before you go.<\/p>\n

Albintimilium archaeological area and Roman theatre<\/h3>\n
\"Roman<\/figure>\n

On the Nervia plain, east of the centre, you can visit the remains of Albintimilium, the main town of the Intemelian Ligurians, which grew in Roman times above all after the via Julia Augusta opened in 13 BC. The archaeological area includes the theatre from the late 2nd century AD, the baths, a domus and the Antiquarium. The theatre still hosts shows and events today.<\/p>\n

The area is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am to 2.30pm and closed on Mondays. A full ticket costs 5 euros and a reduced one 2 euros, with no need to book. It only opens in the morning, so plan to arrive early.<\/p>\n

Covered market and Friday market<\/h3>\n
\"Ventimiglia<\/figure>\n

The covered market, near the station, opened in 1922 as a flower market, the first building of its kind in Italy. Today it is open Monday to Saturday and sells fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, cheese, bread and local produce: it is the right place to try pisciadela or buy castagnole.<\/p>\n

Every Friday morning, all year round, the seafront and the riverbanks fill with stalls for one of the largest open-air markets in Europe, hugely popular with the French. Times, areas, tips and what to buy are in the Ventimiglia market guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hanbury Gardens<\/h3>\n
\"Villa<\/figure>\n

On the Mortola headland, about 6 kilometres from the centre, the Hanbury Gardens<\/a> cover 18 hectares of terraces above the sea with around 5,800 plant species. They were created from 1867 by the English merchant Thomas Hanbury together with his brother Daniel, a botanist. After war damage they were sold to the State in 1960; since 1987 they have been run by the University of Genoa and since 2000 they have been a regional protected area.<\/p>\n

They are open all year, with opening times that vary by season; from November to February they are closed on Mondays. A full ticket costs 10 euros. You can get there by car along the Aurelia towards France or on the line 1 bus from Ventimiglia, which only runs on weekdays.<\/p>\n

Balzi Rossi: caves and prehistoric museum<\/h3>\n
\"Prehistoric<\/figure>\n

Right by the Ponte San Ludovico border crossing, in the village of Grimaldi, the reddish cliffs of the Balzi Rossi<\/a> hide one of the most important prehistoric sites in Europe. Stone tools and animal remains dating from between 230,000 and 12,000 years ago have been found in the caves, along with Palaeolithic burials. The museum, founded by Thomas Hanbury and opened in 1898, displays the famous triple burial, copies of the “Venuses” and a reconstruction of the face of the Dama del Caviglione.<\/p>\n

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8.30am to 7.30pm; tickets cost 4 euros and entry is free for under-18s. At the foot of the cliff there are rocks and a small pebble beach where you can swim.<\/p>\n

Oasi del Nervia<\/h3>\n
\"Swan<\/figure>\n

At the mouth of the Nervia stream, between Ventimiglia and Camporosso, there is a small protected wetland where more than 200 bird species have been recorded, from herons and ducks to migratory birds. Entry is free and its small size lets you see the birds up close. It makes an easy stop if you are visiting the archaeological area, which is nearby.<\/p>\n

Cala del Forte<\/h3>\n

Ventimiglia’s new marina, run by a company from the Principality of Monaco, opened in 2020 and was inaugurated by Prince Albert II in July 2021. It has 178 berths, promenades and bars and restaurants by the sea. It is a pleasant place for a sunset stroll, with views of Ventimiglia Alta and the French coast.<\/p>\n

Beaches in Ventimiglia<\/h2>\n
\"Sunset<\/figure>\n

Ventimiglia’s coastline alternates long pebble beaches in town, a rare sandy beach and wild rocky shores towards the border. In 2026 Ventimiglia does not have a Blue Flag. Almost everywhere the seabed is pebbly, so bring water shoes.<\/p>\n

Spiaggia delle Calandre<\/h3>\n
\"Calandre<\/figure>\n

West of the mouth of the Roia, Le Calandre is one of the few sandy beaches in Liguria, with a gently shelving seabed that suits children. You reach it on foot along a coastal path, and there is also a section with facilities. Storm surges can wash the sand away, and when the mistral blows the surfers arrive.<\/p>\n

Town-centre seafront<\/h3>\n

Along the promenades in the centre there is one beach club after another, with bars and restaurants. Further east, on passeggiata Trento e Trieste, there are free beaches with facilities, handy if you don’t want to book a sunbed.<\/p>\n

Spiaggia delle Uova and Balzi Rossi<\/h3>\n

Towards the border, between Capo Mortola and the Balzi Rossi, the coast turns rocky and the water is very clear. The Spiaggia delle Uova takes its name from the round, pale pebbles polished smooth by the sea. At the Balzi Rossi the rocks are open to everyone, while La Spiaggetta dei Balzi Rossi is a private beach club with a restaurant that you need to book.<\/p>\n

All the beaches, from the free ones to the beach clubs, are in the guide to Ventimiglia’s beaches<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ventimiglia in a day: suggested itinerary<\/h2>\n