ALASSIO: THE HOLIDAY YOU DIDN’T EXPECT
Nature has endowed Alassio with a coastline of fine natural sand and a hillside full of olive groves, chestnut trees and fragrant Mediterranean scrub.
Small hamlets dot the hillside with colourful houses and narrow alleys leading down to the sea. Here, life moves at a pace of yesteryear and the scents coming from the windows are reminiscent of ancient Ligurian recipes. Every window is decorated with lush flowers and you can still hear the voices of children coming from the small secret gardens of their homes.
A walk to the two hamlets, Moglio and Solva, is a nice alternative to beach life. You don’t need any special sporting skills, just a supply of water, a map and a lot of curiosity.
Another hilly route that will make you fall in love with the breathtaking views it offers is the VIA JULIA AUGUSTA which leads from the small church of Santa Croce to the nearby town of Albenga, along a dirt road, in places with cobblestones from the Roman era. If you want a more detailed description of the excursion, click here and you will be directed to our blog article, entirely dedicated to the Via Julia Augusta.
DIFFICULTY 1
LENGTH 5,500 m
WALKING TIME: 2 hours
DEPTH: 100 mt
HAMLET OF SOLVA
Solva is a small village perched on a hill, with a handful of houses, a small square and a church with 15th-century frescoes.
You can reach the hamlet by asphalted road or by the mule track that you take from the uphill side of Via Milano/Piazza Stalla. The second, though more strenuous, is the most romantic: eucalyptus, carob and maritime pine trees offer shelter from the summer sun and bougainvillea hedges fill the eyes and heart with warm colours. Over the centuries, women with panniers full of garden produce to sell at the market and men with their donkeys laden with fish, coral and fishing nets have passed through here.
DIFFICULTY 1
LENGTH 2.800 mt
WALKING TIME: 2 hours
DEPTH: 510 mt
HAMLET OF MOGLIO
Centrally located on the hillside, it is an important starting point for countless walks.
Moglio can also be reached either by asphalted road or by mule track; the climb is demanding, but the effort is rewarded by the many panoramic views you will find along the way. As it is a most populated hamlet than Solva, once you reach the small square, you can take a short break and enjoy a drink at the village bar.
The uphill route starts out protected among dry stone walls, strips of olive trees, villas and greenhouses and climbs at a medium-high gradient.
DIFFICULTY’ 1
LENGTH: 4.300 mt
WALKING TIME: 2 hours
DEPHT: 585 mt
MADONNA DELLE GRAZIE
The route starts in Piazza S. Ambrogio and climbs up a medium-high incline from Via Michelangelo. Like the previous ones, the mule track runs between boundary walls, villas and strips of olive trees.
This route follows the romantic footsteps of Adelasia (daughter of Emperor Otto I) and her squire Aleramo, who fled for love and settled in this part of our hill.
The oldest town coat of arms, depicting Adelasia on a tower, was found in the small church of Madonna delle Grazie.
History-nature-love trail…
DIFFICULTY: 1
LENGHT: 3.000 mt
TWLKING TIME: 2 hours
DEPHT: 390 m
AND NOW… WE RIDE…
The long lockdown allowed the volunteers to do a good maintenance of all the paths in the area, which are even more pleasant to walk, mountain bike or e-bike on.
If you have come on holiday without your beloved bicycle, ask the reception for the contact details in the area for hiring these vehicles. It will be an alternative day to sea life and you will be enchanted.
This is a sporty cycling itinerary that aims to provide a new tourist service to be offered all year round for a new formula of active vacations. The itinerary, which is constantly maintained, includes a 22 km marked route on an asphalt road that winds through the hills surrounding the city of Alassio. There are also 4 off-road variants
ALASSIO CYCLEWAY
- Variant n. 1 length 4 km, difficulty Blue.
- no. 2 length 4.2 km, difficulty Blue
- no. 3 length 11 km, difficulty Red
- and no. 4 length 12 km, difficulty Blue
The Alassio Ciclovia project, with its off-road variants designed for E-bike lovers along with the other paths already present, is composed of paths partly on asphalt and partly on beaten earth, which can be combined according to one’s abilities and goals. It allows one to easily climb up to the highest and most spectacular point of Alassio, the Madonna della Guardia, from where one can admire the dual significance of the city’s territorial position: the coastline with the beach and the sea on one side and, on the opposite side, the Maritime Alps, the starting point of the famous “Via del Sale”.
DIABOLIKA EVENT
Ride, Eat, drink. Repeat! That’s the mantra of this first taste of warm weather.
As part of the tourism revival plan, Diabolika was born from the desire to give to Alassio visitors a unique experience that can mix the pleasure of sharing a game with one of the greatest champions of the past, Claudio Cappucci, and the charm of the flavors and culinary tradition of Liguria.
Diabolika aspires to become a fixed appointment for cycling lovers, but also for those who are looking for an experiential product. At the beginning, Diablolica will have a transversal development so as to be able to involve both the more and the less experienced. As a further development for the future, Diablolica aspires to take various forms in order to verticalize on more defined target audience until the ultimate goal of generating a 4-day event that can combine cycling with running and swimming (Thriathlon).
A couple of events have already been done in May, the next one will be on September 25th, it’s back on the road to the olive trees of the mid-coast of Arnasco and the Sommariva oil mill; on October 16th, it will be the turn of the leaders of the Classicissima and Olio Carli to close on October 30 with the plain of Albenga and the Enoteca Regionale di Ortovero.
This is the starting point, characterized by a calendar of initiatives that will take place during the weekend and that will involve some wineries of Western Liguria in routes built ad hoc and promoted through virtual maps Strava.
LEADING TO THE SEA
Remember that whatever means OR road you choose,
the panorama you can enjoy of the BAIA DEL SOLE is worth any effort.
Article developed with the cooperation of VisitAlassio