{"id":6213,"date":"2026-10-01T22:23:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T22:23:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitbordighera.com\/luoghi\/ventimiglia-alta\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T22:23:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T22:23:51","slug":"ventimiglia-alta","status":"publish","type":"luogo","link":"https:\/\/visitbordighera.com\/en\/places\/ventimiglia-alta\/","title":{"rendered":"Ventimiglia Alta"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ventimiglia Alta is the medieval old town of Ventimiglia, on a hill to the west of the river Roia. While the new town below lives on traffic, the market and the border, up here time slows down: stone caruggi (narrow alleys), 16th-century palazzi and some of the most important Romanesque churches in Liguria.<\/p>\n

It is just a few minutes from Bordighera, by car or by train.<\/p>\n

History<\/h2>\n

Before the medieval town, this was the site of the Roman city of Albintimilium<\/em>, whose remains can be seen today on the Nervia plain. In the Middle Ages Ventimiglia was the stronghold of the counts of Ventimiglia and then passed to Genoa, which in the 16th century surrounded it with new walls.<\/p>\n

What to see<\/h2>\n

The cathedral of the Assunta and the baptistery<\/h3>\n

The cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, built between the 11th and 12th centuries on the remains of an older church, is one of the most important examples of Romanesque architecture in Liguria. Next to it is the 11th-century baptistery, octagonal in plan, which still has its font for baptism by immersion.<\/p>\n

The church of San Michele<\/h3>\n

Founded in the 10th century by the counts of Ventimiglia as a Benedictine priory and rebuilt in Romanesque style between the 11th and 12th centuries.<\/p>\n

Via Garibaldi<\/h3>\n

The main street of the old town, with 16th-century palazzi, the Loggia del Parlamento, the oratory of the Neri, the Biblioteca Aprosiana and the Lion fountain.<\/p>\n

Porta Canarda and the walls<\/h3>\n

Porta Canarda, with its 13th-century Gothic arch, looks out over the sea from a steep slope: paths along the coast start from here. Stretches of the 16th-century Genoese walls survive around the perimeter.<\/p>\n

The Archaeological Museum<\/h3>\n

The Forte dell\u2019Annunziata houses the Museo civico archeologico \u201cGirolamo Rossi\u201d, with hundreds of finds from the excavations of Albintimilium.<\/p>\n

Tips for your visit<\/h2>\n