What to see in Ventimiglia, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the archaeological area.
Tourist information
Located at the mouth of the Roia river, in the Riviera di Ponente of Liguria, near the border with France, Ventimiglia is a tourist and seaside resort, as well as a commercial and agricultural center, famous in particular for the cultivation of flowers.
At the time of the Roman Empire, with the name of Albintimilium, it was a thriving town, later, after the barbarian invasions, it experienced a period of decline and until the eighth century it belonged to Byzantium.
Countless attempts were made to occupy the city by the Anjou, Grimaldi and Savoy families, in addition the difficult political situation caused a gradual deterioration in the general condition of Ventimiglia.
Subsequently it was the Napoleonic army to occupy it, until 1814 when it passed under the Savoy kingdom.
The Cathedral dedicated to the Assumption and to San Secondo, the latter city patron, was built between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, on top of a previous building from the Carolingian era, of which the crypt is still visible.
The facade of the church has a remarkable Gothic portal, enhanced with sculptures, while the bell tower is from the twelfth century.
What see
Behind the Duomo there is the Baptistery, with a polygonal plan dating back to the year 1000, inside which there are two immersion baptismal font.
Not far away is the lodge of the Parliament, built between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and the seventeenth-century civic Aprosian library, containing a large number of rare texts and manuscripts.
The Romanesque church of San Michele, built in the twelfth century on top of a previous building, belonged for a long time to the religious order of the Benedictines.
Visiting the interior you can see the eleventh century crypt, with reworked Roman columns.
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In the most recent part of Ventimiglia, important findings from the Roman era have come to light, visible in the archaeological area of Albintimilium, located at the end of Corso Genova.
The most important testimony is the Theater, dating back to the second century AD, in addition to this, the mosaic of Arione, located near the hospital, which belonged to the spa, deserves particular attention.
