{"id":53744,"date":"2026-09-30T16:32:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkseagreen-rook-345411.hostingersite.com\/liguria\/apricale\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T19:59:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T19:59:38","slug":"apricale","status":"publish","type":"localita","link":"https:\/\/italian-riviera.com\/en\/riviera-di-ponente\/apricale\/","title":{"rendered":"Apricale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apricale is a medieval stone village perched on a steep south-facing slope in the val Nervia, one of the valleys that climb inland from the coast between Bordighera and Ventimiglia. It sits at just under 300 metres above sea level, about 13 kilometres from the sea, and has just under six hundred inhabitants. It is one of the Borghi pi\u00f9 belli d’Italia (the most beautiful villages in Italy) and holds the Touring Club’s Bandiera Arancione (Orange Flag).<\/p>\n

The name comes from the Latin “apricus”, meaning exposed to the sun: all the houses face south and get light from morning to evening. The castle was built around the year 1000 by the Counts of Ventimiglia; the village is first mentioned in 1092, and its Statutes of 1267 are among the oldest in Liguria. At the end of the 13th century it passed to the Doria family and the marquisate of Dolceacqua<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is worth a visit for its stepped carruggi (narrow lanes), the square that looks like a theatre, the murals and the Castello della Lucertola. You can explore it on foot in half a day, and it pairs well with Dolceacqua and Perinaldo. In summer its streets become the stage of the Teatro della Tosse, and in September the village celebrates the pansarola.<\/p>\n

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

The village is small and you discover it by climbing up and down lanes and steps: wear comfortable shoes and leave the car at the entrance to the village.<\/p>\n

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele<\/h3>\n
\"Piazza<\/figure>\n

This is the heart of Apricale, a sloping square framed by churches, the town hall and porticoes. The Touring Club describes it as a theatre with two facing stages: on one side the churchyard of the parish church, on the other the castle looking down from above. The carruggi that wind down the hillside start from here.<\/p>\n

Castello della Lucertola<\/h3>\n
\"Castello<\/figure>\n

The castle stands on the rock above the village and dates back to the 10th century, when it was built by the Counts of Ventimiglia. It later passed to the Doria and the House of Savoy, and in the early 20th century it was turned into a private residence, with a hanging garden inside.<\/p>\n

Today it houses the Museo della storia di Apricale (Museum of the History of Apricale), with seven rooms of documents, statutes and archaeological finds, as well as exhibitions and events. It is closed on Mondays; from Tuesday to Saturday it opens in the afternoon, and on Sunday from late morning. There is an admission charge and an audio guide is available. Check the opening times before walking up, as they can change.<\/p>\n

Chiesa della Purificazione di Maria Vergine<\/h3>\n
\"Church<\/figure>\n

The parish church looks onto the square. It was rebuilt in Baroque style in the 18th century and restored again after the earthquake of 1887. Look up at the 16th-century bell tower: at the top a bicycle juts out into thin air, a work by the artist Sergio Bianco and one of the most photographed sights in the village.<\/p>\n

Oratorio di San Bartolomeo<\/h3>\n
\"Oratory<\/figure>\n

Next to the parish church, the oratory preserves 18th-century stuccowork and a polyptych from 1544 showing the Madonna between Saint Lawrence and Saint Bartholomew. If you find it open, go in: it is one of the village’s artistic treasures.<\/p>\n

Murals of the artists’ village<\/h3>\n
\"Murals<\/figure>\n

Since the 1960s the walls of Apricale have been painted with scenes of rural life and landscapes of the Ponente, the western Ligurian Riviera. This is why it is known as the artists’ village. The murals are scattered through the lanes: the best way to see them is to wander aimlessly between the houses.<\/p>\n

Carruggi, gates and wash houses<\/h3>\n
\"Alleys<\/figure>\n

The village is a tangle of stone lanes, arches, covered passageways and steep steps. The Doria built three pointed-arch gates into the walls, which were the only ways into the village. Near the old drawbridge you can still see the 19th-century wash houses under barrel vaults.<\/p>\n

Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli<\/h3>\n
\"Church<\/figure>\n

At the foot of the village, near the rio San Rocco stream, stands this 15th-century fortress church. Its walls and cross vault are covered in frescoes ranging from the 15th to the 18th century; the oldest depict the Assumption and the Evangelists. It lies on the footpath to Perinaldo.<\/p>\n

Chiesa di Sant’Antonio Abate<\/h3>\n

Near the cemetery, this is a Romanesque church with a 13th-century apse and a Baroque fa\u00e7ade dated 1793. Inside it holds 15th-century frescoes of Christ and the Evangelists.<\/p>\n

Ruins of San Pietro in Ento<\/h3>\n

Outside the village stand the ruins of a single-nave church from around 1230, one of the oldest in the valley. It makes a good goal for anyone who enjoys walking among olive groves and woods.<\/p>\n

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