Imperial city

Imperial city

The port city of Imperia consists of the two formerly independent districts of Oneglia and Porto Maurizio as well as surrounding districts with almost 43,000 inhabitants. To this day it is a city with two different parts, with a monumental administration building enthroned on the former common border.

These two districts are divided by the river Impero, which also gives the city its name. The administrative merger of the two communities and the surrounding villages came in 1923Benito Mussolini, who worked briefly as a teacher in Imperia in 1907. Both parts of the city are picturesquely located on the coast, with their own harbors and beaches and a good infrastructure.

East Oneglia is the more modern district. The originally industrial port, where the Fiats 500 produced in Turin were shipped to all over the world, is now a promenade with great restaurants and bars. Here you can enjoy the Dolce Vita wonderfully. Behind the harbor mole with the restaurant mile is the center of Oneglia with great alleys, arcades, streets and squares with impressive palazzi, bars, ice cream parlours, cafés, restaurants, pastry shops and much more. The countless shops and boutiques in the magnificent arcade promenade also invite you to go shopping.

The old town of Porto Maurizio in western Imperia lies like a pirate's nest on the picturesque hill and impresses with its original and very winding picturesque old town with great historic buildings. The spacious Piazza Parasio is located at the highest point of the historic old town. The view of the azure sea through the old city walls of the Paraiso is worth the walk up to the old town. On the way there, you pass the market square, where the huge basilica of San Maurizio, built in the classicist style by Gaetano Cantoni, dominates and is probably the largest in all of Liguria due to its dimensions. In the narrow streets of the old town there are great restaurants, bars and shops for everyday needs.

Below the old town of Porto Maurizio is the modern marina. he is one of the largest and most modern marina facilities in the Mediterranean, although not all facilities have been completed. Along the pier of the port is the wonderful sandy beach, where there are some chargeable and a free beach section with beach stalls, bars, restaurants as well as diving and sailing/surfing schools.

In Imperia there are no large tourist complexes, so package tourism does not take place here. There are some family-run hotels as well as holiday apartments and holiday homes.