A guide to visiting a part of Liguria west of Genoa, especially if you like walking:

Liguria is one of the smallest regions in Italy, with its capital in Genoa. It is a narrow strip of land on one of the northernmost points of the Mediterranean Sea, the Ligurian Sea. Most visitors to Liguria head to the east of Genoa. Here they go to the famous Cinque Terre or to posh Portofino. The coast west of Genoa, however, is a bit forgotten by international travel. This is a pity, because it has a lot to offer, especially around the quiet seaside resort of Alassio. There are not only long sandy beaches but also many quaint towns and walking opportunities. Find below what to do around Alassio as active traveler, but not before some more details to Liguria in general.

About Liguria – mountains and sea

As stated, Liguria is a coastal area, called Ligurian Sea or Italian Riviera. It is in the northwest of Italy, bordered by France to the west, Piedmont in the north and two other Italien regions to the east. Its capital Genoa splits Liguria in two parts. On the one hand, there is the well-traveled eastern side, called Riviera di Levante. It is known for its Cinque Terre.

On the other hand, you find Riviera di Ponente in the other direction towards the French border. This area is significantly lesser visited by international travelers.

The seafront resort of Alassio is located about half way between Genoa and the French border. It is part of the Riviera delle Palme, stretching all the way from Laigueglia, Alassio’s neighboring village to Varazze, just west of Genoa.

Alassio has not only beautiful sandy beaches but also a considerable number of elegant historic villas. They were built in the late 1800s by rich English people wintering in the area. One of them is Villa della Pergola, nowadays a luxury hotel with gourmet restaurant, that my husband and I chose for our stay here (see my post).

For some more information on Alassio, please refer to this post, too (about the seafront resort of Alassio).

Coming from Piedmont and heading towards Alassio, there is the mountain range of the Ligurian Alps to cross. Once arrived by the sea and driving along the coastal road, you cannot help but getting the impression that the hills begin shortly after the beach ends. Mountains and sea are really close together in this part of the Italien Riviera, what makes the charm of it.

What to do around Alassio as active traveler

This is about walks you can take right from Alassio and about nearby towns resp. villages that are worth a visit.

1. Two great and easy walks between mountains and sea

Around Alassio there is quite a number of walking resp. hiking opportunities. If you head inland from this seaside resort you are in the mountains in no time. However, the hikes here usually do not go through as easy ones as the terrain is rather steep. Therefore, my husband opted for two walks by the sea. Actually, you can even combine them as they both start in the town center and go in either direction along the Ligurian Sea. Whereas the first one goes northeast and leaves the boardwalk after a short while, the second leads southwest and is by the water all the time.

1.1. Ancient Roman route from Alassio to Albenga (easy walk)

Alassio – Via Julia Augusta – Albenga – back to Alassio by train

Duration: 1 ¾ h / length: ca. 7.2 km/4.5 mi /Ascent: ca. 100 m/330 ft / inspired by Outdooractive trail

Coming from Alassio’s train station go towards the sea but not before having a look at the nearby Muretto di Alassio.

This is a low wall covered with more than 550 ceramic plaques of celebrities’ signatures. Ernest Hemingway started it with the cafe’s owner back in 1953.

Go on until you reach Alassio’s shopping street, Via XX September, also called Budello,

and follow it northeast. It ends a short time later where a board walk along the beach starts. Take it, past a tower (Torrione della Coscia)

before you leave it at Via Piave to cross Via F.M. Giancardi to reach Strada Romana Santa Croce.

Walk along this street, always uphill, until you come to Chiesa Santa Croce. From here you have an amazing view of Alassio and its surroundings.

And there is also the start of Via Julia Augusta.

After passing a stone archway, you come to the ancient Roman route that is always parallel to the sea. It is flat and with many wonderful views of the Ligurian Sea and the Gallinara island.

You also find Roman archaeological sites along the way. With Albenga coming closer and closer, the path finally descends to this town. Once arrived here, cross the Centa river and have a look around the beautiful old town

before going to the train station. Take a train back to Alassio (every half to full hour), which takes six or seven minutes.

1.2. Mediterranean passageway between Alassio and Laigueglia (easy walk)

Alassio – Laigueglia – Alassio

Duration: 1 ½ h (one way ¾ h) / length: 6.6 km/4.1 mi / Ascent: none / inspired by Outdooractive trail

Just like the first walk, start from Alassio’s train station, head to the sea and make a short stop at the nearby Muretto di Alassio (see above). When you reach Via XX September, go in the southwest direction to its very end. Not long and you are directly by the water where you find a passageway that leads to Laigueglia.

At a quieter pace, slowly the hotels, the snack bars and the commercial beaches slip away.

Just for a short while, you are in some sort of no mans  land that seems neither to belong to Alassio or Laigueglia. Not before long, the outline of the latter comes into sight. If you want to enjoy the views, there are lots of benches along the way for a rest.

Once arrived in Laigueglia, budget some time to walk through this jewel of a village.

It is on the list of the most beautiful villages in Italy (“I Borghi più belli d’Italia”). Then you either walk back – as my husband and I did – or take the bus (trains are less frequent) to return to Alassio. Buy a ticket for this ride at a bar or tabac.

2. Two of the most beautiful villages in Italy

If you have done the second walk I proposed above, then you already know one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, Laigueglia! But first things first, there is list of villages in Italy that are considered beautiful. And this in the sense of the concept “Made in Italy” as an expression of Italian excellence. It is called “I Borghi più belli d’Italia”. A “Borgo” (singular) means village, but it is more than that. It is an intriguing small Italian town that is usually fortified and dates to ancient times (Middle Age to Renaissance). Generally, there is a castle or another noble building that is circled by other houses.  And often the village is surrounded by defensive walls and towers. There is a broad-based organization behind this list, as it seems.

In Liguria there are 24 villages that made it on the list at this point of time. On our recent stay here, my husband and I visited two of them, Laigueglia and Zuccarello.

If you want to see more of these beautiful villages, there are quite a few near Alassio. Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena is just adjacent to Zuccarello (drive 7 minutes more). If you head west from Alassio, Cervo is close by (14 minutes). If you go in the other direction, Finalborgo is not far (26 minutes). If you drive 13 minutes further, you come to another one, Noli.

2.1. Laigueglia

Laigueglia is just a short walk from Alassio (¾ hour) or you can go by car (4 minutes), train (minutes) or bus (8 minutes). It retains the charm of an old fishing village, which has become rare in other coastal places in Liguria. It is an idyllic spot with its small alleys, squares overlooking the sea and brightly colored fisherman houses. And Chiesa di San Matteo with its two bell towers, topped by colorful majolica domes, make the whole scene picture perfect. In addition, there is a gently sloping sandy beach, too.

As a side note, when walking along the beautiful seaside promenade, we caught side of the historic Windsor Hotel that is currently under renovation. It will open as luxury hotel at the beginning of 2022. So let us keep an eye on this one.

2.2. Zuccarello

Zuccarello is a mountain village that you can reach in a 21-minute-drive from Alassio. Going there by bus is not a viable option (it takes too much time). The small place in the Neva valley runs along a single lane flanked by arcades.

Noteworthy here are the carruggi, the typical Ligurian alleys.

Then there is the Roman bridge and the castle towering high above the village.

In case you should be interested in taking a walk here, there is one that sounds promising (we did not do it). This is about the Sentiero di Ilaria. It connects Zuccarello with Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena, also on the list of Italy’s most beautiful villages. You need about three hours for the way there and back, the elevation gain is 329 m/1,080 ft.

3. Two towns with historic centers worth seeing

In terms of what do around Alassio there is more than “just” visiting beautiful villages. There are also bigger towns worth exploring on the Ligurian coast west of Genoa. My husband and I went to two, Albenga and Ventimiglia. It was not that my husband and I had planned to visit them, it was more of a coincidence.

As to Albenga, we happened to come here when doing the first walk I have proposed (walking the ancient Roman route from Alassio).

Ventimiglia was on our route when heading from Alassio to our next destination, the south of France. Both are not really tourist hotspots but rather working towns. However, they are both worth spending a few hours exploring their old towns.

3.1. Albenga

The mid-sized town (about 25,000 inhabitants) is especially wort visiting because of its well-preserved historic center. You find here numerous medieval towers plus an intact baptistry from the Roman Empire.

And it is a great place to just stroll around and take in the atmosphere of a “normal” town not geared to tourism.

3.2. Ventimiglia

Ventimiglia is another town of medium size. And it is just across the border from the French Riviera. We are here on the Riviera dei Fiori, an area I have not mentioned yet. It is named after its flower-growing industry and stretches from Andora to the French border. The Roya river divides this town into two parts, the old town on one side, the new one on the other. A great thing to do here is exploring the historical center, called Ventimiglia Alta, due to its position on a hill. My husband and just took the first small alley coming from the Rotondo degli Scoglietti (just after the bridge), which went up the hill.

And we immediately immersed in one of the most authentic medieval towns we have ever experienced.

If you have more time to spend here, a must-see activity seems to be the Hanbury Botanical Gardens (we were not here). It was built in the 1800s and has 18 hectares of Mediterranean and exotic plants.

Looking back and forward

The present blogpost about what to do around Alassio on the Ligurian coast west of Genoa is the last of several ones about three places my husband and I visited in north Italy on a recent trip. Our first stop was Lake Orta in northern Piedmont where I did posts about a luxury hotel and what to do here. The same followed for another stay in Piedmont, this time east of Alba (accommodation/activities). Finally, I wrote about an upmarket hotel in Alassio (my post).

In the time to come you will learn about two hotels we went to in the nearby south of France, one a high-end lodging (hotel), the other a midscale to upscale one (hotel & 2 walks). And I will go into (walking) activities, too. Finally, I will let you know about staying and dining in style at a two-star Michelin establishment south of Lyon.

Date of visit: September 2021

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The post 3 top things to do around Alassio on the Italian Riviera first appeared on Swiss Traveler