Medieval Towers
They call it the city of a hundred towers, but actually, although Albenga has plenty, they don’t amount to a hundred. There are 13 main towers, including Peloso Cepolla Tower, today home to the Roman Naval Museum; the Town Hall Tower, the Bell Tower of Santa Maria in Fontibus – the only one built to house bells – and the Bell Tower of the Cathedral, Albenga’s most elaborate tower, flanked by the Civic and Municipal Towers.

Cathedral of San Michele Arcangelo and Baptistery
A single-nave Romanesque church with later extensions in the Gothic style. The Baptistery is thought to date back to the 5th or 6th century, making it one of Liguria’s oldest buildings. Nearby is the church of Santa Maria in Fontibus, with its beautiful 14th-century doorway.

Magiche Trasparenze Exhibition
Albenga’s Palazzo Oddo is home to a permanent exhibition entitled Magiche Trasparenze, a display of glass artefacts unearthed in the city’s necropolis, including the delightful Blue Plate, the only one of its kind in the world.

Museo della civiltà dell’olio
Ligurian olive oil is one of Italy’s most excellent products, and the Albenga area is no exception. Next to the ancient Sommariva olive mill there’s a museum devoted to this extraordinary product.

Genoese Fort
On the edge of the city nearest the sea stands a fortress built in the 16th century by the Republic of Genoa to protect the coastline from invasion by Turkish pirates.

Church of San Giorgio Martire
The hamlet of Campochiesa is the setting for this ancient church, founded before the year 1000 and containing some magnificent frescoes (if the church is closed, the contact details are here).

Gallinara
Albenga’s lovely beach is enhanced by the views of this distinctive little island, part of a nature reserve and open to guided tours and visits.