{"id":6235,"date":"2026-10-01T22:14:55","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T22:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitbordighera.com\/luoghi\/bajardo\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T22:14:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T22:14:55","slug":"bajardo","status":"publish","type":"luogo","link":"https:\/\/visitbordighera.com\/en\/places\/bajardo\/","title":{"rendered":"Bajardo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bajardo is the highest municipality in the province of Imperia: the village stands at about 910 metres above sea level, on a ridge that looks out over the sea of the Riviera dei Fiori on one side and the Ligurian Alps on the other. All around are chestnut woods, mountain olive groves and lavender fields.<\/p>\n

From Bordighera it takes about 50 minutes by car, on hill roads.<\/p>\n

The history of Bajardo<\/h2>\n

The site was inhabited long before the Romans, and the remains of an ancient place of worship have come to light in the upper part of the village. In the Middle Ages the castle and the church of San Nicol\u00f2 were built here.<\/p>\n

The earthquake of 1887<\/h3>\n

On 23 February 1887, Ash Wednesday, a violent earthquake struck western Liguria. In Bajardo most of the inhabitants were gathered in San Nicol\u00f2 for the service: the church roof collapsed and more than two hundred people died, the highest death toll in the whole province. The village was partly rebuilt and in 1893 the new parish church was built.<\/p>\n

What to see<\/h2>\n

The ruins of San Nicol\u00f2<\/h3>\n

In the upper part of the village the walls of the old church still stand, roofless and open to the sky. The collapse brought older remains to light, including Roman-era columns and stelae. It is the most evocative place in Bajardo, and from here the view sweeps from the sea to the mountains.<\/p>\n

The new church of San Nicol\u00f2<\/h3>\n

Built after the earthquake in Neo-Romanesque style, it holds a 15th-century polyptych.<\/p>\n

The village<\/h3>\n

The stone caruggi (narrow alleys), the oratory of San Salvatore and the church of San Rocco, next to which there is a small municipal art gallery.<\/p>\n

The Barca festival<\/h2>\n

At Pentecost Bajardo celebrates \u201cRa Barca\u201d, a festival of very ancient, non-religious origin, unique in western Liguria. The men of the village cut down a large pine in the woods, drag it into the village and raise it by sheer strength in front of the church, like the mainmast of a ship, while the girls in costume sing old songs of love and longing. The festival recalls a medieval legend of love and death.<\/p>\n

What to taste<\/h2>\n

In Bajardo olive trees grow up to about 750 metres: the extra virgin olive oil produced here is a rare mountain oil. Lavender essence is also made from the fields around the village.<\/p>\n

Tips for your visit<\/h2>\n