Alassio

Where to stay in Alassio

Alassio owes its fortune to a beach of fine sand stretching some four kilometres, with a seabed that shelves gently: a rare combination on the Ligurian coast, where shingle and rock prevail, and one that has made it a traditional family destination. Behind the sand runs the Budello, the historic lane crossing the centre parallel to the sea for almost two kilometres, from Borgo Coscia to the Ciccione promenade.

The English colony and the Muretto

In the late nineteenth century, with the arrival of the railway, Alassio became a wintering place for English families drawn by the mild climate: from that time came the Anglican church, an English library, the tennis club and the villas with exotic gardens that still dot the hills, among them the park of Villa Pergola. In the 1950s the town became a fashionable meeting place, and in 1953 Mario Berrino, owner of the Caffè Roma, conceived with Ernest Hemingway the Muretto: the first signed tiles were laid at night on an anonymous wall in the public gardens, and today there are more than a thousand.

The island and the trails

Facing the bay stands the Gallinara island, a nature reserve linked to an ancient Benedictine monastery: its monks founded the Alassio church of Santa Croce in the eleventh century. From the hills, paths lead to Monte Tirasso, crowned by the sanctuary of the Madonna della Guardia, and to the Cappelletta, a viewpoint set high above the sea. The Carlo Levi gallery holds works by the painter and writer, who chose Alassio as his summer residence for more than forty years.

When to go

High season runs from June to September; May and October stay mild and far less crowded. Along the coast, Finale Ligure is easily reached to the east and Imperia and Sanremo to the west. For connections there is our guide on how to get to Liguria, while an overview of the areas is in where to stay in Liguria.