Moneglia: sea castles and "carruggi"

Crystalline trasparence and Mediterranean luminosity, the scent of the pines growing on the rocky coastline mixed to the salty tang of the sea. Moneglia is an uncontaminated oasis on the threshold of Europe. Where you must go to these places: the rocky cove at Valletta. The inlet of "Ruspea". The Regional Park between Punta Manara and Punta Moneglia:one of the finest examples of Mediterranean scrub. The rocky coastline of Vallegrande. Punta Rospo and the new residential estates. The little rocky beach of Orto dei Preti.

Moneglia is one of the five italian beaches selected by the EEC to receive the Blu Flag. His is an acknowledgment by the EEC of its environmental qualities, clean sea and beaches, facilities and harmony with surroundings.

Besides its splendid tree-lined avenues, Moneglia conserves its hidden but fascinating and picturesque corners which express an old time idiom. The Carruggi in the towncentre show typical aspects of the old ligurian architecture. Intermixed with the lively colours of the market-stalls and shops are the surviving ornaments of the past: architraves and portal cut in slate (via Vittorio Emanuele) and a black medieval capital (via Cavour).

Roman and medieval remains enable us to link the first signs of civilisation to our own days. At the time of Caesar Augustus (14 A.D) Moneglia already enjoyed some notoriety within the IX Regio, as it was marked on the map of the Imperial General Staff (Vatican Museum) among the few places and the principal maritime territories of Liguria.

Later, Moneglia, not considered as an urban settlement but as a crossroad leading to pagus Monilia, is mentioned at the time of Thedosius the Great on the road map, commonly called Tavola Peutingeriana (conserved at the Nationalbibliothek, Vienna).

In the successive centuries Moneglia was under various dominations following the destiny of Genoa whose faithful ally it always was. It contributed to the naval victory of Meloria in 1284 against the Republic of Pisa. In memory of this battle there is affixed to the wall of the church of S.Croce a low-relief and some links of the chain which had formerly closed the port of Pisa.

In Moneglia you can find many churces and castles.

The church of S.Croce. The documented origin of this church goes back to 1130; subsequently it was modified in 1300, by the addition of the choir and, ultimately, in part rebuilt in 1725.

The Church of St. George was built in 1396. Originally in a fine Gothic style with stone columns and ogive arches, these were rounded in 1704, thus hiding its original ancient beaty.

Picturesque castle built at the beginning of this century, inspired by the style of Coppedè, is situated in the perimeter of the Monleone Fort which was errected by the Republic of Genoa in 1173, whose ruins and walls are still visible.

And the Villafranca tower. Built in 1549, east of the borough.

Around at Moneglia, you can also visit others nice towns.

St. Lawrence: the ancient church was destroyed by the Longobards about 651 and by Frederic Barbarossa before 1190.

The present church was built on the old foundations. Data about it are contained in a stipulation of the 11th July 1224, to be seen at the Castle of Monleone in Moneglia.

A very ancient borough close to Moneglia is Lemeglio; it is situated on the pre-Roman coastal road which ran parallel to the Via Aurelia Antica.

On the slopes of the Bracco are San Saturnino and Comeglio.