Moneglia is a beautiful and peaceful hamlet. Cut off from the rest of the world! What is more, the seaside here is probably the best place to relax in Liguria! I invite you to discover Moneglia (pronounced MONELIA).
Location
Moneglia is a small hamlet (about 2,5 thousand inhabitants) located in the province of La Spezia, just a hoot and a holler from Cinque Terre and Portofino 😉 So it can be considered as a base for exploring Liguria, even if getting around here is a bit difficult (check below in the “tunnels” section).
History
The first settlement existed already in ancient times. The name of the hamlet appeared for the first time in the 8th century in a document by Charlemagne. In the Middle Ages, like the entire coast of Liguria, the hamlet had to defend itself from pirate attacks. Then there was a turbulent period of domination by the Republic of Genoa, the Duchy of Milan, the Spanish, the French and finally in the second half of the 19th century it became part of United Italy.
St. George Church
A parish church from the 14th century. Inside, there are paintings by artists such as Giovanni da Pisa, Giovanni Barbagelata and Luca Cambiaso (the last name is very local … you will see then). In this church, you can admire a painting attributed to the Flemish painter Paul Pierre Rubens. On the church vault, there is a painting depicting the patron of the church, Saint George killing the dragon. The painting is only attributed because there are no documents confirming the authorship of the Flemish master. It is possible that another painter was inspired by the Rubenses style but that it wasn’t that famous painter by himself.
Holly Cross Church
The construction of the church is dated to the 11th century. On the right side of the entrance, there is a marble bas-relief commemorating the participation of the inhabitants of Moneglia in the naval battle of Meloria in 1284. A battle was won by the Genoese, who after the victory confirmed their dominance in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Inside the church works of a local sculptor Antoon Maria Maragliano. Next to the church, you can see the birth home of the Baroque, Ligurian painter Luca Cambiaso.
Oratorio dei Disciplinati
The oratorio was founded in the 10th century and currently belongs to the Confraternity dei Disciplinati. From the outside, the church does not attract attention. Inside, however, there is a magnificent cycle of frescoes from the 13th century depicting the triumph of death, the last judgment and some episodes from the Apocalypse. There are also lighter themes, such as the life of the Holy Mary, and the passion of Jesus. Generally, they take your breath away and make a huge impression. The only problem is that the Oratorio is almost always closed. To see it, you have to make an appointment with the parish priest or wait for open days when it is possible to visit it.
Tunnels
Moneglia is cut off from the rest of the world! Yes, yes, you can get here either from the east or from the west by the Aurelia, the local SS1 road but it runs through the abandoned railway tunnels of the Genoa-Rome line. They are very narrow, which means that only one-way traffic is possible in them! So there are traffic lights here that direct traffic and change, respectively: towards the west (i.e. Sestri Levante) every 25 minutes, and towards the east (i.e. Deiva Marina) every 15 minutes. Both of the above-mentioned towns can be reached via the A12 highway.
Beach and castles
Moneglia has a quite large, sandy beach. A large part of it is private beaches (you have to pay to enter) but quite a nice portion is for free.
Moneglia has also two castles, located on opposite slopes of the valley in which the hamlet is located. The one built on the western slope is the 12th-century Fortezza Monleone. To the east, the Fortezza and the tower Villafranca were also built in the 12th century by the Republik of Genoa. Both are in private hands. No visits.
Moneglia, even if inconspicuous and difficult to reach is one of the most interesting places in Liguria. It is full of historically important monuments and places. There is something to do, where to relax and eat. What is more, here you can find a lot of mountain trails, so everybody will find sth to do here.
And whoever is looking for a tour guide to Moneglia or anywhere else in Liguria, be my guest and contact me here 🙂 See ya!
