Traces of the original Roman settlement in Albenga
can be seen in the remains of suburban villas along the route of the ancient
Via Julia Augusta, and the ruins of the baths, an aqueduct, the amphitheater
and a number of tombs, including the so-called “Pilone”.
The center of the city of Albenga has retained its compact
medieval structure, with houses huddled against towers. The
heart of the historic center is Piazza San Michele, on which the
cathedral stands: structures from the eleventh century survive
in the lower part of the facade and from the thirteenth century
in the upper part.
IAlbenga's cathedral campanile, rebuilt in 1391-95
with five stories on a Romanesque base, is considered one of the finest
late Gothic monuments in Liguria. The interior of the church, which has
been restored to its medieval appearance, houses frescoes by Carrega,
a panel painted by Pancalino in 1520 and a fifteenth-century Pentecost,
in addition to the monumental nineteenth-century Serassi organ.
A few meters away stands the baptistery, which
has remained practically intact since the fifth century, and the medieval
complex of the Palazzo Vecchio del Comunedi Albenga (Old City Hall) with
its charming tower on a base of black stone, dating from the fourteenth
century. Behind the apse of the cathedral lies the Piazzetta dei Leoni,
named after its three stone lions from the Renaissance, which is dominated
by the sixteenth-century Palazzo Costa (now the bishop's palace) and the
battlemented tower of the same name.
Other relics of Albenga's Middle Ages can be
seen in Piazza Girolamo Rossi, with its intact example of a fourteenth-century
house, and on Via Bernardo Ricco which retains much of its original appearance.
A visit to the museums of Albenga also provides
an opportunity to explore the splendid buildings in which they are housed:
the Palazzo Vecchio and the decorated rooms of Palazzo Peloso Cepolla,
formerly the archbishop's palace.
Nowadays the Albenga plain is used chiefly for
the growing of potted plants, herbs and highvalue early produce, using
advanced farming methods supported by the Center for Agricultural Experimentation
and Assistance of the Savona Chamber of Commerce.
