Cipressa

A Ligurian village with sea views

A small village overlooking the sea, with pastel-coloured houses looking out over the blue water: welcome to Cipressa, in the Valle del San Lorenzo. It is an unmissable destination in the province of Imperia. Despite being small, Cipressa boasts many attractions and an ancient history steeped in legend. According to tradition, the name of the village derives from Cyprus, the home of three shepherds who left the eastern Mediterranean island to found Cipressa’s three historic districts: Poggio, Piazza and Collatura.

Don’t miss the main square, overlooking the sea, dominated by the Parish Church of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary and the Oratory of the Annunciation. Hidden away but worth the search is the abandoned former oratory-church of Santa Maria de Platea. Away from the “pigna”, the historic centre, is the Gallinaro Fortress on the hill, from which you can observe the horizon just like the Ligurians, defending themselves against the Saracens.