Via Iulia Augusta

Monumental archeological itinerary

Built in 13 B.C. by the Emperor Augustus to connect Rome to southern Gaul, the Via Iulia Augusta in the section between Alassio and Albenga is one of the most evocative historical nature trails in Liguria, easy to walk along and with the typical colours and scents of the Mediterranean maquis. The route of the Via Iulia Augusta, which is protected by an archaeological and landscape constraint, has free pedestrian access, is partly asphalted and partly in beaten earth with a short section in cobblestones dating back to the historic period. Walkable in about two hours, it offers suggestive digressions between past and present.

Starting point

The route starts from the square of S. Croce, in Alassio and reaches the amphitheatre, in the municipality of Albenga. After a short descent, crossing the modern bridge over the river Centa, you reach Albenga with its historic centre and medieval towers. From here it is then possible to return to Alassio by TPL bus or by train.

Historical period

The Via Iulia Augusta was named after Emperor Octavian Augustus, the first Roman emperor, who had it built (but it is likely that a route already existed before) between 13 and 12 BC to complete the itinerary linking Rome to southern Gaul. The road, in its coastal section that passed through Liguria, made it possible to reach the town of Arles in Provence from Vada Sabatia (today's Vado Ligure). Another short stretch of ancient paving, similar to that preserved in this section, can be seen near La Mortola on the French border. Other emperors, such as Hadrian and Caracalla, were responsible for the maintenance and resurfacing of the road. It must be remembered, however, that the Roman road was the only land route through western Liguria until the early 19th century, when first Napoleon and later the Savoys started and completed the coastal road, today's Via Aurelia. There must obviously have been numerous maintenance works on the road over more than 2,000 years.

Itinerary

The route starts from the square of S. Croce, from the little church of the same name, from which there is an extraordinary panorama, which on clear days sweeps as far as the mountains of Tuscany and Corsica. Beyond a stone archway, which Cecil Roberts in his novel set in Alassio called ‘The Portal to Paradise’, the images that will accompany you for the entire route immediately appear: the sea and Gallinara Island.

The first stretch overlooks the port of Alassio, which was carved out of a natural inlet in the 1950s, with its characteristic little chapel built in 1929 in memory of those who fell at sea. A few hundred metres and, amidst the vegetation of cypresses and eucalyptus trees, you reach the church of Sant'Anna ai Monti. Tradition has it that this is a very old church, even built before the year one thousand. In reality, there is still no certain information on the period of its foundation. It was restored in the 1970s and parts of the late 15th/early 16th century frescoes are still visible today, albeit very ruined.

After about 3 km, past a campsite, in a few short stretches you can still see the original stone paving, which dates back to historic times. At this point, a section of ancient paving is still visible, characterised by the presence of ‘margines’ at the sides and transverse cuts for water drainage. A little further on, still in the territory of Alassio, we find the beginning of the necropolis of the Roman Albingaunum, dating back to the 1st-2nd century A.D., the remains of which will accompany us to the end of the route.

After crossing a small bridge, you enter the territory of Albenga: below you can see the Colombera, a beautiful 16th-century residence. After another 800 metres, here is a second funerary enclosure, the so-called ‘petit appareil’, a building technique that was also widespread in nearby Gaul, dating back to the end of the first century AD. To get a better idea of what the Iulia Augusta must have looked like in imperial times, one only has to walk a very short distance. Here are no less than four funerary buildings lined up along the road axis.

Continuing on towards Albenga, more ruins are visible. Leaving these behind, we reach Punta S. Martino, near the so-called Pilone, a tower-shaped funerary monument dating back to the second century A.D., and the Roman amphitheatre (on private property, reachable by a diversion), the last monuments along the road in the municipality of Albenga.