Imperia is an Italian town of 42 602 inhabitants, the capital of the province of the same name in Liguria; located in the Riviera di Ponente, it was born in 1923 from the administrative merger of Oneglia (Ineja in the Ligurian language) and Porto Maurizio (U portu in the Ligurian language), respectively to the left and right of the Impero stream, as well as the minor municipalities of Borgo Sant 'Agata, Caramagna Ligure, Castelvecchio di Santa Maria Maggiore, Moltedo Superiore, Montegrazie, Piani, Poggi, Torrazza and Costa d'Oneglia.
In Porto Maurizio:
Basilica of San Maurizio and Companions
Martyrs;
Logge of Santa Chiara and convent of the Poor Clares;
Oratory of San Pietro;
Oratory of Santa Caterina;
Sanctuary of
Santa Croce at the top of Monte Calvario;
Church of the Immaculate
Conception;
Church and birthplace of San Leonardo da Porto Maurizio;
Church of Santa Maria Maddalena;
Church of San Giuseppe;
Ave Maris
Stella Church in Borgo Marina.
In Oneglia:
Basilica of San
Giovanni Battista;
Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Castelvecchio;
Church of San Camillo;
Church of San Biagio, known as the Minimi
Fathers;
Church of San Sebastiano;
Church of Our Lady of Loreto,
in Borgo Peri;
Church of San Luca, on the Cascine hill;
Church of
Cristo Re, between the two villages of Oneglia and Porto Maurizio;
Church of the Holy Family;
Church of San Francesco da Paola in Calvi
square.
In Castelvecchio:
Parish Church of Santa Maria
Maggiore;
In the fractions:
Church of San Martino in Clavi;
Parish Church of Sant'Antonio in Costa d'Oneglia;
Oratory of the
Assumption in Costa d'Oneglia;
Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine
in Costa d'Oneglia;
parish church of San Bernardo in Oliveto;
Oratory of San Giacomo in Barcheto;
Parish Church of San Michele
Arcangelo in Borgo d'Oneglia;
Parish Church of Sant'Agata in Borgo
Sant'Agata;
parish church of San Sebastiano in Artallo;
Oratory of
San Benedetto in Artallo;
parish church of Santi Simone e Giuda in
Cantalupo;
Oratory of San Giacomo ai Ricci;
Oratory of San
Bernardo in Massabovi;
parish church of San Bartolomeo in Caramagna;
Oratory of Sant'Antonio in Caramagnetta;
parish church of the
Annunziata in Montegrazie;
Shrine of Our Lady of Grace in
Montegrazie;
parish church of San Bernardo in Moltedo;
Oratory of
the Immaculate Conception in Moltedo;
Oratory of Santa Caterina in
Moltedo;
Oratory of Sant'Agostino in Moltedo;
Parish church -
sanctuary of the Assunta in Piani;
Church of San Bernardo in
Torrazza;
parish church of San Giorgio a Torrazza;
Oratory of San
Giovanni a Torrazza;
Church of San Gottardo in Torrazza;
Parish
Church of the Madonna della Neve in Poggi;
Oratory of Sant'Antonio in
Poggi.
In Porto Maurizio:
Lercari-Pagliari Palace;
Lavagna Palace;
Strafforello Palace;
Villa Carpeneto;
Villa Faravelli;
Villa
Varese;
Casa di San Leonardo, birthplace of the patron saint of
Imperia al Parasio.
Hospice of the Knights of Malta in Borgo Marina,
from the 13th century, which gave hospitality to Francesco Petrarca. The
apse is almost intact and a mural fresco depicting the Maltese cross on
the external wall above the side door of the building is still visible,
albeit very deteriorated.
Teatro Cavour former town hall;
Torre di
Prarola (built for the sighting of Saracen pirates), on the sea
immediately west of Porto Maurizio;
Porta Martina, the last evidence
of the medieval walls at Parasio (Porto Maurizio).
In Oneglia:
Palazzo Doria (where the famous admiral Andrea Doria was born in 1466);
Villa Grock, retreat of the famous Swiss clown-artist of the first half
of the twentieth century;
Casa Rossa, a villa on Capo Berta towards
Diano Marina, former home of the poet Angiolo Silvio Novaro;
The
"Gothic", Renaissance-style palace with tower, the former municipal seat
of Oneglia;
Caffè Pasticceria Piccardo from 1905, registered in the
Association of Historic Places of Italy [10];
Fountain in Piazza
Dante, located in the center of Oneglia, built in the second half of the
1900s by Mayor Carlo Gonan.
In Torrazza:
Torre Antibarbaresca,
restored in 1992
Bronze monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi, depicted resting on a rock, by
Tancredi Pozzi from 1904. In 1923 the statue was located further down,
on via Aurelia (later viale Matteotti), then it was moved to the center
of the large piazza Roma in Porto Maurizio (the former Piazza
dell'Annunziata, as it is close to the homonymous convent, later rebuilt
and transformed into a school) where it is still located.
Bronze
monument to the Cap-Horniers, the many seafarers from all countries who,
at the time of sailing, had rounded the mythical Cape Horn, home to
constant storms, putting their lives at risk on each crossing. The
monument, which depicts a helmsman while facing the elements covered by
a tarpaulin, is located at the base of the Molo Lungo of Porto Maurizio,
at the entrance to the port.
Monument to Edmondo De Amicis (in Piazza
della Vittoria), by Giacomo Giorgis: this bronze group, inaugurated on
15 May 1932, was built in homage to the author of the novel Cuore, with
the contribution of 10 cents from pupils of all schools of Italy.
Monument to the Fallen of the First World War (it should be noted that
there was a bronze statue on the obelisk, which was then requisitioned
for military needs and never replaced), on Viale Matteotti in Porto
Maurizio.
Monument to the Fallen of the Second World War and of the
Resistance, in bronze and marble (in Piazza della Vittoria).
Monument
to the Argentine general Manuel Belgrano (of Italian origins, his father
was originally from Oneglia). It is located in Oneglia, along the Borgo
Peri esplanade.
«Equilibri» monument, in front of the Palace of
Justice: steel sculpture depicting the balance between the three
legislative, executive and judicial powers; by Giovanni Sicuro known as
Minto (2015).
Monument to "Felice Cascione" - half-bust of the
Partisan doctor Felice Cascione nicknamed U megu (in the Ligurian
language) which gives its name to the municipal swimming pool of the
city.
By plane
Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport
By car
A10
motorway (Autostrada dei Fiori)
Provincial road 1 "Aurelia"
On boat
In Porto Maurizio there is a tourist port which,
especially in the summer season, acts as a hub for marine tourism
Porto di Oneglia mainly hosts fishing boats and merchant ships
On the train
Imperia station, on the Genoa – Ventimiglia line
By bus
Public transport is carried out with bus services
carried out by Riviera Trasporti
The current urban center of Imperia includes the
towns of Porto Maurizio and Oneglia (which in turn includes
Castelvecchio), historically and geographically distinct.
Oneglia, to the east, is the largest part of the city, extending
into the short alluvial plain on the left of the mouth of the Impero
stream, gathering around Piazza Dante, from which some of the main
modern streets of the city open. Historically it was the industrial
center of the city, mainly linked to the production of olive oil. It
was famous for the production of pasta. Of a more commercial
vocation than Porto Maurizio, the center of Oneglia is characterized
by Piedmontese-style architecture (the inspiration from the arcades
of Via Roma and Piazza San Carlo in Turin is evident), a legacy of
the period in which it was part of the territories of the Savoy and
the Kingdom of Sardinia. Immediately north of Oneglia is the village
of Castelvecchio di Santa Maria Maggiore.
Porto Maurizio,
west of the Impero stream (which gives its name to the city), is
located on a promontory jutting out into the sea on the left of the
mouth of the Caramagna stream and extends over the coastal selvedge;
it has a predominantly residential and tourist vocation. It is
intricate and picturesque, full of caruggi (alleys), small creuze
(alleys) and prestigious buildings.
The territory behind the
city, in the center of the Riviera dei Fiori, has an orographic
trend characterized by short valleys, placed perpendicular to the
coast and uniformly sloping down, in which many settlements have
developed that have managed to keep their original structure intact
or almost.
The cultivation of the olive tree, introduced
around the XII century, has profoundly marked the history of the
Imperia territory, as well as, centuries later, flowers and tourism
did. Olive trees grown on terraced hills (called bands in the local
dialect) with the characteristic dry stone walls are the dominant
element of the landscape. Classification: zone 3 (low seismicity),
PCM Ordinance n. 3274 of 20/03/2003
Climatic
classification: C (the day degrees of the city are 1201, and the
maximum limit allowed for switching on the heaters is 10 hours per
day, from 15 November to 31 March).
The valleys behind the city,
especially behind Porto Maurizio, are particularly short and the top
ridge forms a natural barrier to the north, which guarantees the
city effective shelter from the coldest winds and gives it a
particularly mild climate.
The creation of Imperia took place on 21 October 1923 with a royal
decree which brought together eleven pre-existing municipalities into a
single municipality, which took its name from the Impero stream which
flows between the two main centers (to circumvent parochial disputes
over the choice of the name itself).
From 1973 to 1 January 2009
it was the administrative headquarters of the Olive Mountain Community,
the latter merged into the Olive Mountain Community and Alta Valle
Arroscia with Regional Law No. 24 of July 4, 2008.
Imperia is a city with a recent past and two faces: in fact, there is
still a sort of parochialism that mostly concerns the older inhabitants.
This is probably due to the different history of the two districts
which, despite being so close, have belonged for centuries to different
state entities, having been Oneglia, a Savoyard "enclave" in Genoese
territory from around 1560 to 1815, except for the short of the
annexation of the Ligurian Republic to the First French Empire. The
process of unification of the two cities began after the unification of
Italy through reciprocal acts of the two municipalities, definitively
realized in 1923. The surviving differences in the third millennium
concern many small everyday aspects, from the dialect with slight but
significantly different accents and terms (since the Onegliese is marked
by "Piedmont-like" phonetic features), to the gastronomic specialties
(pizza cooked differently in the two districts, the farinata - typical
chickpea focaccia - with different thicknesses and recipes), to the more
residential and elegant nature of Porto compared to the more industrial
and popular one of Oneglia, up to the many anecdotes mocking both
districts.
The citizens of the two main settlements are also
called Cacelótti and Ciântafùrche. In the city it is said that for
capital executions, managed "in common" between the villages, the
gallows were regularly erected by the Onegliesi (hence the name of
ciântafùrche - "plant for the forks"), while the executioner, of the
Cacello family, arrived from nearby Porto Maurizio (the flat rocks
intended for executions, in an area of the sea between the two cities,
now filled in, were called 'e Giustixe, the Justices). Initially used in
a derogatory tone, the two names have lost this meaning over time and
are still commonly used in the local dialect.
In the two main
inhabited centers that make it up – Porto Maurizio and Oneglia – you can
still find the signs of a past that saw the two localities (and also
many hamlets) independent and autonomous: two civic palaces, two main
churches, two ports, two stations and even three patron saints: while
symbolically remaining San Maurizio martyr patron of Porto Maurizio and
San Giovanni Battista patron saint of Oneglia (with their patronal
feasts in two different periods of the year, not counting the various
patron saints of the other hamlets), the official of the municipality of
Imperia is, since 1991, San Leonardo da Porto Maurizio.
The Cineforum of Imperia, a cinematographic association that has more
than 800 members, has been active since the 1960s.
In 1963 the
Mongioje Choir of Imperia was founded by Maestro Emilio Lepre,
subsequently directed by Guido Gorlero and from 1977 by Maestro Elio
Guglieri.
In the spring of 2005 the Coordination Province of
Imperia of CICAP was born, the Italian Committee for the Control of
Claims on the Paranormal founded in 1989 by Piero Angela. The group's
activity is aimed at its local reality, within which it intends to
become a serious and credible point of reference, both for the
population and for the local media (newspapers, radio, TV, etc.), in the
full recognition of the objectives of CICAP and in close collaboration
with Cicap Liguria.
Since 2006 the City of Imperia Video Festival
- International Festival of Digital Cinematographic Art has been
organized. Unesco Cultural Heritage for the 2010-2011-2012 editions on
its tenth birthday it received the Medal of Representation from the
President of the Italian Republic.
In 2009 the cultural
association "Ludo Ergo Sum" was born, which aims to highlight all
aspects of play and playing.
Libraries
Civic Library "Leonardo Lagorio", located in the former
courthouse in Oneglia.
Library of the University of Imperia, whose
book heritage exceeds 67,000 volumes.
Research
The
Meteorological and Seismic Observatory is active in Imperia, located in
Porto Maurizio in the turret of the primary school building in Piazza
Roma (where the Annunziata convent previously stood), which continuously
supplies data relating to local conditions and is included in various
scientific detection networks.
University
University Center of
Imperia, affiliated to the University of Genoa. It includes the
Faculties of Law, Tourism Sciences, Economics, DAMS and Audiovisual
Production and Translation for the Arts and Performing Arts (ProTAvAS).
International Naval Museum of Ponente Ligure, in Piazza Duomo in
Porto Maurizio. The museum headquarters is being moved to the new
tourist port and will be housed in the historic commercial docks in
Porto Maurizio, which have been completely renovated.
Central Museum
of the Historical Institute of the Resistance, in via Cascione in Porto
Maurizio.
Nativity scene museum and civic art gallery of Imperia, in
Piazza Duomo in Porto Maurizio.
Olive Museum at the Fratelli Carli
plant in via Garessio in Oneglia.
Museum of the brotherhoods, at the
brotherhood of the Holy Trinity, on Monte Calvario.
M.A.C.I. Museum
of Contemporary Art of Imperia, Villa Faravelli, Viale Giacomo
Matteotti, 151
Television
Imperia TV, a broadcaster that broadcast in the
provinces of Imperia and Savona from 1986 to 2020.
A tourist poster
advertising the city of Imperia ("Imperia - The Italian Riviera")
appears on the wall of Lew Bookman's (Ed Wynn) apartment in the episode
One for the Angels (1959) of the famous series tv The Twilight Zone.
Radio
Radio Cittadina Imperia, a non-profit web radio born in
March 2020 on the initiative of some young people from Imperia.
operating in the territory of the municipality of Imperia. It is also
present on various social networks: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr
and on YouTube.
Cinema
The port of Oneglia was the location of
some filming of the film The Bourne Identity in 2001.
Other areas of
Imperia, including the old courthouse, were filming locations for the
films Capitan Basilico and Capitan Basilico 2 of Buio Pesto in 2007 and
2010.
Theaters
Teatro Cavour, inaugurated on 23 December 1871.
The Empty Space, inaugurated in October 2009.
Music
Musical
band "Riviera dei Fiori-Città di Imperia", founded in 1862 as a band
complex of the then municipality of Porto Maurizio.
Jazz Ambassadors
Big Band E. Lepre, founded in 1979 by Maestro pianist Emilio Lepre who,
with a group of musicians, gave birth to the longest-lived Italian Jazz
Band and which over the years has hosted international artists and
numerous television appearances. The Band aims to promote musical
culture with particular reference to jazz music.
The Coro Mongioje,
male choir founded in 1963 by Maestro pianist Emilio Lepre, who was its
first Artistic Director (who was succeeded by Maestro Guido Gorlero),
born as a mountain choir and over time, at the end of the 70s, thanks to
the arrival of Maestro Elio Guglieri, he broadened his musical horizon
little by little until today it embraces a repertoire that practically
touches all genres of music: sacred and profane; ancient, traditional,
contemporary and modern; cultured, popular, ethnic and jazz, all
performed strictly a cappella. The activity of constant musical research
of the choir continues today thanks to M° Ezio Vergoli, who in 2012
inherited the Artistic Direction from M° Guglieri.
Spaghetti (fidelén), handcrafted in the city since the past
centuries. Production then became industrial from 1824 with the Pasta
Agnesi factory (closed in 2016), which was one of the first Italian
pasta factories.
Pizza all'Andrea, typical Onegliese focaccia covered
with tomato sauce, with olives and salted anchovies. The ancient name of
piscialandréa linked to the main ingredient (fish, in this case the
anchovy) has changed to the more modern one, which recalls Andrea Doria,
the illustrious historical figure born in Oneglia. It certainly has
Provençal origins and its fish-based condiment (also called machéttu)
even dates back to the Roman garum. It should be noted that in Porto
Maurizio the same "pizza" is much higher and is made with chopped
tomatoes, testifying to the different traditions of the two centres,
albeit with such a small distance. Other variants of western Liguria are
the sardenàira of Sanremo and the pisciadèla of Ventimiglia, whose names
also reveal how the fundamental condiment was always fish.
Stroscia
di Pietrabruna (from the Ligurian dialect stroscià: to break, to break),
dry sweet focaccia made of flour, sugar, Taggiasca olive oil from the
province of Imperia and vermouth or marsala, which should not be cut,
but broken by hand; hence the name of the cake.
Farinata (fařinà),
low savory pie made with chickpea flour and olive oil, particularly
tasty because it is seasoned with spring onion, which turns golden and
crunchy when cooked in the oven (here too, each district has its own
particularities). The origin of the farinata dates back to the times of
the maritime republics, when by chance the hungry Genoese decided to
toast a porridge of chickpea flour on a shield, used as a baking tray,
and give it to the Pisans held captive on ships. The large low and round
pans used today (called teasti in dialect) recall its shape.
Condiglione (cundiùn), summer salad made with fresh tomatoes, olives,
olive oil and fresh basil, very similar to the salade niçoise of Nice.
Fantén, a hard dough flattened in the shape of a cockerel, planted on a
stick, which was given to children on the occasion of religious
holidays.
Pesto (pìstu), like in the rest of Liguria, this condiment
for pasta, based on basil, olive oil, Parmesan or pecorino (note that
cheese is not always present in the preparation in these traditionally
poor areas), garlic and pine nuts.
Vele d'Epoca, international meeting of vintage sailing boats. The
event takes place on the first weekend of September.
Motoryacht
d'Epoca, biennial international meeting of vintage motoryachts
(alternating with the Vele d'Epoca). The event definitively ends with
the 2009 edition.
Book Fair, or Festival of Mediterranean Culture,
exhibition-market through the streets of the center of Porto Maurizio.
It is at the beginning of June and takes place annually. In 2014 it
reached its 14th edition
Grock Festival, held annually in memory of
the famous Swiss clown. The 10th edition was held in 2014.
VideoFestival City of Imperia (organized by the OffiCine Digitali
Association) is held annually in the last week of April. In 2015 it
reached its tenth edition.
Olioliva, annual fair of oil and Ligurian
gastronomic products. In 2014 it reached its 14th edition.
International Chess Tournament, held consecutively since 1958, probably
the second oldest tournament in the world.
White Night, known as the
Night of Bubbles, around 23 August. In 2019 it reached its thirteenth
edition.
Ludomundialito, itinerant table games tournament lasting six
stages that take place once per month from January to June. The 5th
edition began in 2015.
Corsa al Monte Faudo, has been held annually
since 1968 and starts from the territory of the municipality of Imperia,
on the flat, up to the summit of Monte Faudo at a height of 1149 metres,
over a course of 24 kilometres.
Also in the third millennium it is visually evident how the city was
created from the merger of two pre-existing cities: between the two
historical centers there is a green area of a couple of km which has
remained little inhabited, where the two imposing public buildings of
the Municipality and the Post Office at the time of the creation of
Imperia, precisely to accentuate the successful union. In addition to
some period villas with relative parks, a couple of residential
neighborhoods were formed in that area in the 1960s, one on the hill
around the new hospital and the other (Borgo San Moro) in the
uncultivated area by the sea to the right of the Empire stream. Even the
sea area between Porto Maurizio and Oneglia did not have a specific
destination, due to the various commercial port projects that have been
discussed over the years and never implemented and subsequent landfills
that have created a flat but unexploited area. Only in recent years has
an organic project of a tourist port and arrangement of the adjacent sea
area been taking shape (with a promenade, a cycle path and a park on the
new breakwater).
The great urban expansion that took place after
the war was instead more concentrated in the areas around the two
historical centers towards the relative hamlets, the closest of which
were practically absorbed by a single urban fabric of homes and
services.
Although there is no real industrial center (the few
industries existing in 2015 are located in the center of Oneglia), the
Regulatory Plan has destined the area at the bottom of the valley of the
Impero stream to this type of development, where in fact most of the
centers have sprung up. commercial and new industrial warehouses in
recent years. After the seventies many houses and villas were built in
the hills around the city, in panoramic areas that were previously
completely deserted and are now dotted with houses and new, often
impervious roads.
Urban fabric of Oneglia
Located on a small
alluvial plain at the mouth of the Impero stream, it is characterized by
a cross-shaped structure of streets as regards the historical center of
medieval origin (the one behind the port), while in the
nineteenth-century part (Piazza Dante and Via Bonfante, respectively
square and main road) a predominantly concentric-radial structure is
manifested, dictated by a series of streets that branch off from the
main square and by another sequence of boulevards that creates a belt
around the city center, strongly delimiting it. Characteristic of this
recent part of Oneglia are the arcades, of typically Piedmontese
inspiration. Contrary to Porto Maurizio, the city of Oneglia has more of
a strong territorial unity: there are no "districts" or "villages" with
their own traditions and identities.
Urban fabric of Porto
Maurizio
The medieval historic center (the Parrasio, more commonly
called "Parasio") is perched on a promontory overlooking the sea and
buildings of important monumental value are preserved in it. Here,
unlike the historic center of Oneglia, the industrial revolution and
modern construction have not been able to affect the pre-existing town
due to the morphology of the territory.
The parish church at the
top of the ancient nucleus was demolished at the beginning of the 19th
century (the bell tower can still be seen in period prints, now only a
small square remains in the same space occupied by the ancient church),
steps were taken to rebuild a city that he had to show his rank
properly.
The new main square (Piazza del Duomo), on the edge of
the historic centre, saw the Cathedral and the Town Hall of Porto
Maurizio face each other. It also houses the Palazzo della Questura
(previously used as a barracks). It is connected to the new main road
(later Via Felice Cascione) via a cross of roads (known as "la
Crociera").
This part of Imperia, unlike Oneglia, follows the
typical Genoese urban characteristics and still maintains divisions
between the villages dating back to medieval traditions (Parasio,
Fondura, Marina, Foce...), well differentiated and with their own
identities.
Imperia is surrounded by various hamlets, some of which are now part
of the city's urban fabric. All mainly based their economy on the
cultivation of the olive tree.
For historical reasons, they can
still be considered "satellites" of the two main districts, rather than
of the modern Municipality of Imperia. The list also shows the dialectal
names:
Montegrazie (Muntegròssu), in whose territory there is the Romanesque
sanctuary of Nostra Signora delle Grazie which was built in 1450 in
Colombina stone. According to a legend it was built where the virgin
miraculous a deaf mute. Its bell tower is based on a watchtower against
Saracen pirates, later raised. Inside, divided into three naves, the
walls are almost entirely decorated with frescoes from 1483, by the
brothers Tommaso and Matteo Biazaci da Busca and by Pietro Guidi da
Ranzo. Also noteworthy is the parish church of SS. Annunziata, which to
the right of the main altar preserves the polyptych with canopies and
golden background by Carlo Braccesco from 1478 and on the left the
marble statue of the "Madonna delle Grazie" (originally located near the
fountain of the Sanctuary and later moved inside the church parish);
Moltedo (Muřtéu), in whose parish church two Baroque works are kept: the
Holy Family, the work of the Flemish painter Jan Roos, originally
attributed to Antoon van Dyck and the Sant'Isidoro by Gregorio De
Ferrari. It is the most distant fraction from the sea and from Porto
Maurizio (about 9 km), at the bottom of a small valley;
Artallo
(Ařtàllu), on the slope that closes the valley of the river of the same
name, just behind Porto Maurizio. Also noteworthy is the small
seventeenth-century chapel of S. Benedetto outside the town, in a
panoramic position over Porto;
Poggi (I Pœxi), formerly divided into
Poggio Soprano and Poggio Lantero (this explains the plural name) in a
panoramic position on the westernmost ridge of the municipality;
Caramagna (Cařamàgna), near the stream of the same name, further divided
into three villages: Caramagna Soprana, Caramagna Baccàn and
Caramagnetta. It takes its name from the town of Caramagna Piemonte,
because in the Middle Ages a congregation of nuns from Caramagna
Piemonte obtained this area as a fief, and called it with the name of
their town of origin;
Cantalupo (Cantalüvu), with the nearby village
of Ricci (i Rìssi), from the name of the family group that lived there;
Massabovi (Massabòvi), from the name of the family group that lived
there (the Massabò);
Piani (I Ciài), further divided into the four
hamlets Piani, Corradi, Carli and Aicardi (the latter from the name of
the predominant family group there). Note the sanctuary of the Madonna
Assunta (with a Baroque interior, on a previous Romanesque base still
visible in the exterior);
Clavi (I Clàvi), a small group of houses
with a medieval donkey saddle bridge with two arches (the so-called
Roman bridge, now called "San Martino", from the name of the adjacent
oratory) over the Prino stream, towards the municipality of Dolcedo;
Torrazza (Tuřàssa), so called because dominated by an ancient circular
tower, for the sighting of Saracen pirates. In the Middle Ages it was
particularly important, so much so that it was the seat of the Terziere
di S.Giorgio, one of the three parts into which the municipality (or
Capitaneato) of Porto Maurizio was divided. Before going up to the town,
it is worth seeing the Romanesque sanctuary of S. Giorgio which gave its
name to the medieval Terziere of the same name.
Castelvecchio (Casteluvéggiu), now contiguous to Oneglia, is the
primitive settlement on the hill, high on the Impero stream, from which
Oneglia was born (which was called Castrum Uneliae). There are still
remains of the castle from which it takes its name, near the sanctuary
of Santa Maria Maggiore (whose bell tower is none other than the ancient
tower of the castle);
Sant'Agata (Sant'Agā), high up on the right
bank of the Impero stream. The nativity scene that is set up there every
year is very popular;
Barcheto (Bařchéu), further below, almost on
the bed of the same stream. The name suggests a possible ancient ferry
of the watercourse, established at that very point;
Borgo d'Oneglia
(Bùřgu d'Inéja), still on the right bank of the Empire, but more inland;
Costa d'Oneglia (Cùsta d'Inéja), hidden among the olive trees coming
from Oneglia, but in an elevated position on the left bank of the
Empire, just in front of Borgo d'Oneglia. Just outside the village, in a
panoramic position (it is visible from the Imperia Est motorway junction
of the A10), the sanctuary of Nostra Signora del Carmine;
Oliveto
(Uřivéu), a small village in the valley that leads to Costa d'Oneglia.
The Imperia economy, by tradition, has been mostly characterized by
an industrial vocation. The industry made use of local agricultural
production.
Agriculture
The main production of the municipal
area, as of the entire province, is linked to the processing of the
Taggiasca olive, with its products, in particular extra virgin olive
oil.
Industry
The cultivation of the Taggiasco olive tree has
historically led to the presence of various oil companies, mostly
located in Oneglia, which worked and exported the products on an
industrial level, today almost all disappeared, with the notable
exception of the Fratelli Carli company. The latter, founded in 1911, is
currently in constant expansion thanks to a careful production and
distribution policy.
The fate of the other significant production
of the city was completely opposite: that of Agnesi pasta, the oldest
brand of pasta producers among those still existing. The pasta factory
was founded in the first half of the 19th century inland; a mill was
then opened near the port of Oneglia, which later became the
headquarters in 1888. After a long decline, production ceased on 13
December 2016 due to its transfer to Fossano (Cuneo).
Tourism
Since the end of the twentieth century, the city has directed
significant energies towards tourism. With this in mind, the project for
the tourist port was approved and implemented.
Streets
In ancient times there was a Roman road (via Julia
Augusta) which ran along the Ligurian coast parallel to the sea, from
Genoa to Gaul (later France), to which was added in the Middle Ages the
Via Marenca, which climbed inland, bypassing the Alps and proceeding
towards Piedmont. Much of the movement and trade, however, took place by
sea.
The communication routes are:
the A10 motorway
(Autostrada dei Fiori) which joins the rest of the Italian motorway
network from the French border in Genoa;
the provincial road
(formerly the state road) 1 Aurelia, which passes along the coast
following approximately the layout of the ancient Roman road of the same
name;
the state road 28 towards Turin;
Railways and tramways
The city is served by the Genoa-Ventimiglia railway line. Historically,
the city has been served by the two separate railway stations of Imperia
Oneglia and Imperia Porto Maurizio, both replaced as a result of the
doubling and moving upstream of the railway, with the inauguration on
12/12/2016 of the new unified station of Imperia ., located in an
intermediate and decentralized area with respect to the urban center.
Between 1893 and 1895 the pre-existing cities of Oneglia and Porto
Maurizio were connected by a horse-drawn tramway. In 1926, an urban
electric tramway managed by the Società Tranvie Elettriche Province of
Imperia (STEPI) was inaugurated on the same route and remained in
operation until 1947.
Urban mobility
Public transport is
carried out with bus services carried out by Riviera Trasporti.
Port
The city has 2 port areas:
in Porto Maurizio there is a
tourist port which, especially in the summer season, acts as a hub for
marine tourism, an important economic resource of the city
the port
of Oneglia, on the other hand, mainly hosts fishing boats and merchant
ships
The commercial port of Imperia (Oneglia) in the past was
bustling with merchant traffic (trade in oil and pasta, timber and, for
a certain period, also components for FIAT and finished cars, which were
embarked for southern Italy). For several years, it was the only outlet
on the Mediterranean for the Duchy of Savoy (Principality of Piedmont)
and, for this reason, a strategic place repeatedly undermined and
shelled by the enemies of the Savoys of the moment (Kingdom of France,
the Spaniards, etc.). It hosts a fish auction and a local fleet of small
to medium fishing vessels.
In 2006 the city was awarded the Blue
Flag for the quality of the services of the tourist port (Imperia Mare).
It is home to the biennial international Vele d'Epoca rallies, which see
hundreds of yachts, large and small, gather in the harbour.
Also
as part of the naval gatherings in Imperia, the meeting of vintage
motoryachts takes place, which is held every two years (alternating with
vintage sailboats) in Calata Cuneo, in the port of Oneglia.
The
seafront of Imperia is changing its appearance with the project of a new
port: the Port of Imperia, with 1293 berths and a wide range of services
and commercial establishments on land. It is being built between Porto
Maurizio and Oneglia, but the most substantial works will be in the
Porto Maurizio area, where the tourist port is already located and will
be completely integrated into the new much larger port, thus forming a
single port among the largest in the Mediterranean .
The works
for the new port got underway with the laying of the first stone in
March 2006. The first works were completed in 2009, while to see it
completely finished it will be necessary to wait for the prosecution to
take its course in the investigations in order to continue the finishing
works.
The works consist both in the redevelopment of areas that
previously housed industrial settlements, and in the construction of new
piers in areas previously occupied by the sea and which were filled in
after the Second World War.
Four football clubs are located in the municipality: A.S.D. Imperia,
A.S.D. Val Prino 2010, A.S.D. Porto Maurizio, and G.S. Riviera dei Fiori
2012. They competed in regional and provincial amateur championships.
The water polo team is Rari Nantes Imperia, which has won a
Scudetto, two LEN Cups and a LEN Super Cup with the women's team.
In Imperia there are also headquarters: the athletics club A.S.D.
Maurina, who celebrated 100 years of activity in 2007; the G.S. St.
Leonard; the U.S.D. San Camillo, a handball club and a rugby team.
In 1998 the second stage of the Giro d'Italia ended in Imperia with
the victory of Ángel Edo.
Sport facilities
Stadio Nino
Ciccione had a capacity of around 5,000 spectators divided into four
sectors: grandstand, distinct, north stairway, south stairway, but
following the enactment of anti-violence regulations the capacity was
reduced to around 3,300 seats.
Felice Cascione swimming pool
Sferisterio Edmondo De Amicis for fistball, with a capacity of 3500
spectators.
"Pino Valle" rugby field located in the Baitè area.
Pala San Camillo - handball field located in Via Felice Musso
Athletics field "A.Lagorio" in Borgo Prino