Rocchetta Nervina is a small medieval village in the province of Imperia, located in Val Nervia and nestled on Mount Tercia, not far from the coast, behind Ventimiglia. It offers to its visitors one of the most picturesque corners of the area and the opportunity of quiet walks (carrugi) through the town and excursions along the trails of the nearby countryside. The town features a defensive curtain and two bridges that connect it externally.
The discovery of artifacts dating from pre-Roman ages, evidence the presence in the area of Celtic and Ligurian populations. Mount Abellio nearby has the name of the god worshiped by these inhabitants. In Roman times, thanks to flourishing trade and the center for agricultural products experienced a great development. In a text of the twelfth century, refers to the flight of the lord of the place, Henrietta accounts of Ventimiglia, the protests and reprisals of the inhabitants of Castrum Barbairae, so named because at that wet from the Rio Barbaira. In the fourteenth century, for nearly three decades, life in Rocchetta Nervina was considerably enlivened by contrasts with the Genoese Doria family, Lords of Dolceacqua, with claims on the village, then set on fire. Later the house became the center of the town of Saorgio. Tranquility returned only in the fifteenth century, thanks to the Savoy family. Towards the middle of the fifteenth century it became a fief of the Doria and the eighteenth century of the wig. He became a free city of the Republic of Genoa achieve independence, then, after the Congress of Vienna was incorporated in the Kingdom of Sardinia and from 1861 in the Kingdom of Italy.
Not to miss:
The Oratory of the Santissima Annunziata, which bears the motto Savoy "Fert" on the framing, demonstrating the importance of the Savoy family, since 1400, for the country.
The Church of Santo Stefano, built in 1500 and later restored in Baroque style. It presents the Savoy shield in stone, under the tabernacle, that adorns the side door.
The great Roman arch at the confluence of the rivers Oggia and Barbaira.
The charming waterfalls and bridges in the valleys of Barbaira.
The picturesque trekking paths between the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri, the Balcone, the valleys of the river Oggia and of the river Barbaira, the summit of Testa d'Alpe to admire the different types of vegetation, from the typical Mediterranean to ones of the highlands, enjoying, at the same time, magnificent views and silence.