A Trip to Albenga Beneath the Ancient Towers, Between Legendary Tales and Authentic Flavours - Part I

A group of very ancient towers rising towards the blue sky that blends with the blue of the sea: when, driving along the Autostrada dei Fiori, our gaze meets this extraordinary panorama, we know we are level with Albenga, a town that boasts the most striking and best-preserved historic centre on the western Ligurian Riviera. But Albenga also welcomes those arriving from the sea with a breathtaking view: the splendid Gallinara Island, once inhabited by Columbanian monks and later by Benedictines, lies right in front of the town. The island, which takes its name from the wild hens that populated it in the past, was the refuge of Saint Martin of Tours towards the end of the 4th century, while today it is a nature reserve with one of the largest breeding colonies of herring gulls in the Ligurian Sea.

A walk through the historic centre of Albenga, once called Album Ingaunum, is a genuine plunge into the most authentic medieval atmospheres. You go around with your nose in the air and your mouth open in amazement at the sight of so many splendid towers sprouting everywhere behind the buildings and at the end of the alleys. Those of the Old Town Hall and the cathedral are the town's three symbolic towers, recalling the ancient conflicts between ecclesiastical and municipal powers.

Legend has it that many centuries ago there was a serpent in the town that terrorised the inhabitants. In particular, it made it impossible to travel from Albenga to Alassio, killing anyone who passed along that road. So the population held a procession, praying to Saint Michael the Archangel, patron of the town, to kill the terrible reptile. The miracle was not long in coming: during the night a sudden flash was seen heading from the sky towards a precise point on the road. Right there the people found the serpent killed. The cathedral of Saint Michael the Archangel, founded towards the end of the 4th century, is among the oldest buildings in the town. The present church stands on the site of the early Christian construction and preserves precious frescoes and other works inside.

In the historic centre we visit the Civico Museo Ingauno in the building of the Old Town Hall, and we also admire the bishop's palace and the Palazzo Peloso Cepolla, with its 13th-century tower.

Albenga's fabulous geographical position was also a source of danger in the past, particularly because of pirate raids. On 2 July 1637, while the celebrations of the feast of the Madonna di Pontelungo were taking place at the sanctuary, Saracen pirates attacked the nearby Ceriale, looting it and killing dozens of people. Immediately afterwards they headed for Albenga, but they were dazzled by the splendour coming from the sanctuary and so, frightened, gave up the massacre. Near the sanctuary we also visit the basilica of San Vittore, an early Christian building that arose on the site of a necropolis from the Roman imperial era.

Our walk among Ingaunian historical memories continues in the hamlet of Bastia, which arose in the 14th century around the castle erected in 1295. The village was born from the need to defend the dwellings scattered through the valleys, and popular tradition recalls that long ago an underpass connected the houses on the right side of the village's climb with the chapel of San Bernardo and the hospice for travellers that stood at the top of the hill. In the times of the Saracen raids it was the friars of the convent who spotted the enemy ships and raised the alarm in the village.