Unique Places
Discover the nearby magical places you can visit during your stay at La Meridiana.
Discover the nearby magical places you can visit during your stay at La Meridiana.
According to the legend, Alassio takes its name from Adelasia, daughter of the German Emperor, Otto the Great, who eloped here with her beloved Aleramus and took shelter in these hills. The German princess was the first, but surely not the last of the Northern visitors to fall in love with this corner of the Riviera.
Of all the charming places on the Riviera, Laigueglia is beyond doubt one of the most romantic and picturesque. It has the typical structure of the old fishing village, with one single narrow street (the local word for it is “caruggio”), and tall houses lining it on both sides, with just a few interruptions for the sunny piazzas that open straight on the beach. If you are travelling to Liguria, visit Laigueglia. It has the typical structure of the old fishing village, with one single narrow street (the local word for it is “caruggio”), and tall houses lining it on both sides, with just a few interruptions for the sunny piazzas that open straight on the beach.
Albenga is a unique town in Liguria, both for its geographic position and for its very particular history. It was not destined to become a tourist resort like many other cities in the region. Lying at the center of a very fertile plain and a perfect junction point between the Mediterranean sea and the Northern plains, Albenga always felt a stronger vocation for agriculture and commerce rather than fishing and seafaring.
The town of Cervo clings to the cliff like a rocky pine-cone. High above the white-washed houses is the beautiful church a wonderful example of the Ligurian baroque.
The name of the village, “New Town”, explains its origin. It was founded in the 13th Century when the powerful Albenga needed a crown of fortified satellites all around to protect itself and its rich territories from envious neighbors. Villanova, the first of several “little daughters”, is therefore a miniature copy of Albenga, but here the Medieval walls are almost entirely in their original place and are extraordinarily well preserved.
Zuccarello also was founded in the Middle Ages: in 1998 the village celebrated its 750th birthday with an impressive historical pageant. The very special feature here is the long line of arcades on the main street, originally meant to serve as a covered market place. High above the village are the ruins of the castle of the del Carretto family, landlords over this valley for centuries.
In a strategic position halfway between the coast and the North of Italy, is Pieve di Teco. It has been a market town since times immemorial. Long before the Romans conquered the region traders from the plains and the mountains met here to exchange corn and metals for the most precious of marine commodities: salt. The “salt road”, now a favourite among hikers, was the cause of endless wars, from the Byzantines to Napoleon.
High on the rock, a real eagle nest, Castelvecchio is unanimously considered one of the most scenic and picturesque among Ligurian countryside villages. The tiny, rustic homes cling to the mountain, seeming to seek some protection from the incumbent castle.
Rich in history and folklore, the little town offers the visitor a very interesting museum, the Museum of Rural Life and Traditions, where many ancient tools are on show, including the equipment for the complete oil making process.