Dolceacqua and Apricale

In the hinterland of Ventimiglia and the Nerva valley, the two nearby villages of Dolceacqua and Apricale are well worth the detour. The first is a medieval village with its pretty Roman bridge and the remains of its old Doria castle, which was immortalised by Monet.
Apricale is another medieval village perched on a hill in the green valley, with a charming central square, stone houses and an old castle.

Dolceacqua

A few kilometres from the coast, Dolceacqua is one of the most charming Ligurian villages of the Ponente, crossed by the Nervia valley river. In 1884 Claude Monet immortalised the Roman bridge and the Doria castle that dominates the medieval village, which has remained unchanged to this day.
The village benefits from its inclusion among the “most beautiful villages in Italy” and holds the “orange flag”, a tourism and environmental quality label awarded to barely more than 100 villages in Italy.
Its historic centre is surely among the most suggestive and immersive in the region. The medieval atmosphere is indeed everywhere, with its vaulted passages, arches, portals, etc.
Beyond, on the hill, vineyards and olive trees stretch out, from which a fragrant wine is produced, the Rossese.

Visit

Dolceacqua consists of two parts : the Terra which is the oldest core, built on the slopes below the castle, and the Borgo on the right bank of the Nervia which is flat instead.
Terra is reached via the beautiful Ponte Vecchio, the emblem of Dolceacqua. In the 15th century it replaced an older structure, with its single donkey-back arch. At the top, the Doria Castle was transformed over the centuries.
The village is a superb example of medieval town planning, with its lanes concentric to the castle, arches, and covered passages: the caruggi which in themselves constituted a defence of the medieval village.
The most curious lanes are the scasasse between the bridge and the parish square. Along the main street that leads up to the castle, the old workshops are occupied by art galleries, artisan workshops, shops and cellars.
On the parish square near the river, the church of Saint Anthony preserves a rich Baroque interior and the beautiful polyptych of Saint Devota from 1515 by Ludovico Brea. Next to it, the 16th-century palace hosted the Doria. In the Borgo district is the oratory of San Sebastiano.

Apricale

Apricale is also among the ”  most beautiful villages in Italy “, both for its beautiful position in the heart of the Val Nervia valley, among its oak and chestnut woods, and for the charms of the village.
The centre is a true labyrinth of lanes, passages and stairways, with tightly packed houses separated by the typical caruggi.
The founding of the castle by the Counts of Ventimiglia dates back to around the year one thousand. In the 13th century Apricale was a free commune, then it entered the fief of the Doria of Dolceacqua for the five centuries that followed before passing under the domination of the Republic of Genoa. Agostino Grimaldi destroyed the castle in 1523.

There were three gates of access to the village, protected by rows of stone houses serving as walls. Today one can see paintings on the walls of the houses, depicting moments of local daily life and of the fields, created by many passing artists.
The heart of Apricale is the suggestive Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, open onto the valley, with a Gothic fountain, arches and beautiful palaces. Behind it, the 16th-century oratory of San Bartolomeo underwent a Baroque embellishment in the 18th century. Higher up, the church of the Nativity of medieval origin was rebuilt in the 19th century, near the remains of the castle and the 12th-century tower. The “castle” houses the museum dedicated to Apricale.
The pansarole accompanied by eggnog is a local sweet, and good olive oils are produced here with the olive trees growing on the surrounding terraces.

Map

Information

• Dolceacqua : en.wikipedia.org, www.visitdolceacqua.it, www.liguria.info
• Apricale : en.wikipedia.org, www.touringclub.it, www.liguria.info