Albenga is the best-preserved Roman city in Liguria, its medieval center follows the Roman street grid with remarkable fidelity, the Baptistery (5th century AD, one of the most important early Christian buildings in northern Italy) still stands in the center of town, and the asparagus grown in the local agricultural plain (Asparago Violetto di Albenga DOP, a distinct purple-tipped variety) is among the finest in Italy. It sits on the Ligurian Riviera 85km west of Genova, surrounded by the beach resorts of Alassio and Ceriale, and receives a fraction of their visitors. This is explained entirely by the absence of a beach in the town itself (2km away) and not at all by any lack of cultural interest. Albenga is one of the best-kept secrets on the Italian Riviera.
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The Baptistery of Albenga
The Battistero Paleocristiano di Albenga (Piazza San Michele) is a 5th-century octagonal baptismal building, one of perhaps six or seven surviving early Christian baptisteries of this period in all of Italy, and the best-preserved in the northwest. The interior dome is covered with Byzantine mosaics (5th-6th century) depicting Christ among the twelve apostles in the characteristic blue and gold of the late antique mosaic tradition. The combination of the octagonal plan (baptisteries were traditionally octagonal, eight is the number of the new creation, the day beyond the seven days of Genesis), the architectural scale, and the mosaic program makes this small building one of the most significant religious monuments in Liguria. Entry combined with the adjacent Museo Civico Ingauno (the municipal museum of Albenga's Roman and medieval history): €5.
The Roman City Plan
Albenga was the Roman city of Albingaunum, established as a municipium in the 1st century BC. The Roman street plan (the cardo and decumanus, the north-south and east-west axes of the Roman urban grid) is still legible in the medieval city. Walking Via Roma (the former decumanus maximus) from Piazza del Popolo to Piazza San Michele traces the exact line of the Roman street. The forum was where the piazza is now. Several medieval towers built on Roman foundations are visible in the urban fabric. The Museo Civico has Roman finds from the city and the surrounding area, including the extraordinary group of amphorae recovered from a Roman shipwreck in the nearby waters.
Questions About Albenga
How do I get to Albenga?
By train: on the Genova-Savona-Ventimiglia-Nice main line. From Genova: 1h direct, €7-10. From Nice (France): 1h30. The station is 1km from the historic center (walk or taxi). By car: A10 motorway, Albenga exit. 5 minutes to the center. Parking in the lower town. The historic center is partially ZTL (Limited Traffic Zone).
What is the Asparago Violetto di Albenga?
The purple-tipped asparagus of Albenga (DOP since 2007) is grown in the coastal plain between the town and the sea, in the sandy alluvial soil of the Centa river. The color (lighter than green asparagus, with violet tips) comes from a combination of the specific local cultivar and the growing conditions. The flavour is more delicate and sweeter than green asparagus, with less of the bitter aftertaste. The season is April-May. During asparagus season, practically every restaurant in Albenga serves them, in formats from risotto to frittata to simply boiled with oil and salt. The weekly market (Wednesday morning) in the historic center is the best place to buy them directly from producers.
Is there a beach at Albenga?
The beach is at Albenga Marina (2km from the historic center) and at the adjoining towns of Ceriale and Alassio. The Ligurian beach culture (stabilimenti balneari, deck chairs, umbrellas, the whole apparatus) is fully operational in these locations in summer. The historic center of Albenga is 2km inland, this distance is what has kept it from the commercial development that transformed the coastal towns, and it is the main reason the Roman city plan and the Baptistery have survived.
What else is near Albenga?
The Gallinara Island (Isola Gallinara, visible from the coast east of Albenga) is a nature reserve accessible by boat from Albenga marina, extraordinary bird life, Mediterranean scrub, and crystal water. The Grotte di Toirano (18km inland): limestone caves with prehistoric human and cave bear traces (footprints, bones), one of the finest cave complexes in Liguria. Cervo (20km east): a perfectly preserved medieval village on a cliff above the sea, with a Baroque church facade that faces the Mediterranean, one of the finest coastal medieval villages in Liguria. Vedi anche: Liguria · Cinque Terre · Portofino.
