Alassio

Alassio
Country	Italy
region	Liguria
province	Savona (SV)
Coordinates	44 ° 0 ′ N , 8 ° 10 ′ E Coordinates: 44 ° 0 ′ 0 ″ N , 8 ° 10 ′ 0 ″ E
height	6 m slm
surface	17 km²
Residents	10,652 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density	627 inhabitants / km²
Post Code	17021
prefix	0182
ISTAT number	009001
Popular name	Alassini
Patron saint	Sant'Ambrogio and Corpi Santi (December 7th)
Website	Alassio

Alassio (in Ligurian : Aràsce ) is a place with 10,652 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019) in Liguria with an area of 17 km² .

View of the Bay of Alassio (2008)

Location and dates

Alassio is located on the Riviera di Ponente between Capo Mele and Capo Santa Croce and is known as a tourist destination. The small fishing port of Luca Ferrari is particularly popular with visitors .

Alassio is about 95 kilometers away from the regional capital Genoa . The neighboring municipalities are Albenga , Andora , Laigueglia and Villanova d'Albenga . Alassio is one of the few places on this stretch of the coast with a natural sandy beach. It is approx. 3 km long, gently sloping and sometimes only 10 m wide.

The municipality belonged to the Comunità Montana Ingauna until January 1, 2009 , but was not included in the new Comunità Montana Savona 2 thereafter .

climate

In the observation period between 1961 and 1990, the lowest monthly mean temperature was found in January with + 9.7 ° C and the highest mean in July with +24.9 ° C.

The annual mean value for precipitation is between 650 and 700 millimeters . Statistically there are 58 rainy days per year that are concentrated in autumn.

history

Alassio in the second half of the 19th century

Alassio in 1934

Alassio's founding seems to go back to the 10th century, when several families settled near the small church of Sant'Anna ai Monti . When more families settled in the area of today's Madonna delle Grazie , the Castè district was created , where one of the city's oldest coats of arms can still be seen today .

In the 11th century the city belonged as a fief to a Benedictine order that was resident on the island of Gallinara , only to be subordinated to the sovereignty of the city of Albenga until the 16th century .

In 1521 the first city wall was drawn around the core of Alassio to protect against repeated pirate attacks . When it entered the Republic of Genoa , the city took part in the war against France with 18 galleons in 1528 and was granted extensive autonomy by the city-state, especially in the economic sector.

In 1540 the city became the seat of the local Podestà . Meanwhile, the Genoese Republic increased trade with France, Spain , Portugal , Sicily , Sardinia and the Netherlands via Alassio, making it an important trading center in northern Italy. Like the other coastal cities of Liguria, Alassio concentrated its economy on the mining and trading of precious corals . In 1571 the municipality took part in the naval battle of Lepanto with an entire fleet .

In 1625 it came into the possession of the Savoy , but was soon recaptured by the Republic of Genoa. During the Italian campaign in 1797, Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Alassio and, after the fall of Genoa, incorporated it into the territory of the new Ligurian Republic . In 1815, the city became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, along with the other municipalities of the republic, and in 1861 to the Kingdom of Italy.

At the end of the 19th century, Alassio, like the other coastal towns on the Italian Riviera , became a popular tourist center. The considerable number of mostly English visitors, including the Hanbury family , who had the botanical gardens laid out near Ventimiglia , contributed to the not inconsiderable wealth of the city.

Between the 1960s and 1970s, Alassio, along with Portofino and Sanremo, became a destination for the upper class . During these years, the “ Little Wall of Alassio” was created on the initiative of the local painter Mario Berrino .

Toponym

According to a legend, the toponym Alassio comes from the daughter of Emperor Otto I , Adelasia . She is said to have fled from the father's farm with a stable boy named Aleramo to settle on the hill Alaxia , today's Alassio. There they founded the Aleramiden family . Accordingly, a tower with Adelasia is depicted in the city arms.

In fact, sources from the 13th and 14th centuries speak of an Albertus d'Alascio and an area called Alaxio . So it cannot be ruled out that the name Alassios goes back to these notables, or that this Albertus came from a place Alascio , which was later renamed Alassio .

Population development

Attractions

Sacred buildings

The Santuario di Nostra Signora della Guardia

The parish church of Sant'Ambrogio

Nostra Signora della Guardia - the church was built on Mount Tirasso in the 12th century and partially rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries
Sant'Ambrogio
Sant'Anna ai Monti
Santa Maria Immacolata
Santa Maria degli Angeli - seat of an institute of the Salesian Order
Carità
Santa Croce
San Vincenzo Ferreri
San Giovanni Battista
Sant'Anna
Madonna della Neve
Santissima Annunziata
San Sebastiano
Madonna di Loreto
Madonna del Popolo
Madonna delle Grazie
San Bartolomeo
Sant'Andrea
Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
Sant'Erasmo
Madonna del Vento
San Rocco
Ai caduti del mare

Military architecture

The Torrione Saraceno or Torrione della Coscia

There are two ancient observation towers in the urban area , of which the Torrione Saraceno or Torrione della Coscia is the most famous. It was built during the Genoese Republic in the 16th century in the district of the Coscia district and was mainly used to protect against the recurring pirate attacks.

The Torre di Vegliasco , which belonged to the property of Aleramo del Monferrato , is of more ancient origin . It is depicted on the city arms and has a conical floor plan. The top of the tower is occupied by a weir core .

The "little wall of Alassio"

The Alassio wall

The "Mäuerchen" (Italian: muretto ), designed by Mario Berrino , is a popular destination for both tourists and those interested in art. Until the end of the Second World War it was only a small border wall around the Alassios city park. During the economic boom in the sixties and seventies, however, the city's citizens began to embellish the wall with irregularly shaped tiles.

The first tile was installed in 1951 by the writer Ernest Hemingway while he was in town. Other painted tiles were donated by the Quartetto Cetra and Cosimo Di Ceglie , for example . The custom is still alive today, and meanwhile numerous signatures (around 500) of famous personalities adorn the "Little Wall of Alassio".

music

The English composer Edward Elgar spent the winter months of 1903/04 in Alassio. He processed his impressions in the concert overture In the South (Alassio) .

Excavation sites

During restoration work on the church of Sant'Anna ai Monti , various archaeological finds were made in the 1970s . These are concentrated along an ancient Roman road that connects Alassio with Albenga . According to local historians, the finds and building ruins may have come from the first settlement in the zone, dating back to the 9th century.

culture and education

Alassio is the seat of the Francesco Maria Giancardi State Vocational School for the Hotel and Restaurant Industry .

Museums

Museo di scienze naturali "San Giovanni Bosco" - the natural history museum is located in the Institute of the Salesian Order in the Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli
West Gallery - an exhibition dedicated to the painter Richard Whateley West
Pinacoteca "Carlo Levi" - a painter and writer Carlo Levi dedicated Pinakothek
Biblioteca Civica "Renzo Deaglio"

kitchen

In addition to the dishes of the Ligurian cuisine , Alassio is known for some culinary specialties:

Ventre di tonno - a dish based on tuna stomach
Baci - a chocolate praline
Biscetta - a kind of Berliner with fennel seeds
Risiny - a high-calorie pudding

economy

Alassio's economy is clearly based on overnight tourism , which is particularly pronounced in the summer months. In winter, the city is a popular destination for tourists mainly from Northern Europe.

The small fishing port Luca Ferrari received the Blue Flag in 2007 for the outstanding quality of its service offer.

Infrastructure

Alassio is on provincial road 1, Via Aurelia . The city is connected to the A10 motorway via the Albenga feeder road. Alassio has a train station on the Genoa – Ventimiglia line , in the section between Ventimiglia and Savona .

gallery

View of Alassio with the island of Gallinara in the background
View of Alassio towards Laigueglia
Alassio Beach
View from the jetty
Sunrise over the sea in front of Alassio (in front on the left the island of Gallinara)