What is Apricale known for?

Tenth-century castle of the Counts of Ventimiglia, named for the lizard-shaped outline the village makes on its rock spur. Taggiasca olive oil from terraces above the village, the basis for the Città dell'Olio membership. Sweet fritter eaten with zabaglione, celebrated each September at the Sagra della Pansarola during the patronal festival.

Apricale is a comune in the province of Imperia, Liguria region of Italy, about 169 kilometers from Genova.

Liguria · Imperia

Apricale

A medieval hill village in the Nervia Valley, named for the Latin apricus, sunny, with a tenth-century castle shaped like a lizard on the rock.

169 km / 105 mi

Nearest hub (Genova)

626

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Apricale sitson a rocky spur in the Val Nervia, thirty kilometers west of Imperia and a few kilometers inland from the French border. The name comes from apricus, the Latin word for sunny: the village faces south on a ridge that catches light most of the day. The Counts of Ventimiglia built the Castello della Lucertola here in the tenth century, called the Lizard Castle because its outline matches the silhouette of the village along the rock. From 1270 the borgo passed to the Doria of Dolceacqua. The houses cascade down the slope in stone tiers, connected by alleys and stairs rather than streets. The village holds Borghi più belli, Bandiera Arancione, and Città dell'Olio. Below the centro storico, the Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli dates to the thirteenth century. The Sagra della Pansarola each September celebrates the local sweet fritter eaten with zabaglione.

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Gallery

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Known for

Castello della Lucertola
Tenth-century castle of the Counts of Ventimiglia, named for its lizard-shaped outline on the rock, now housing the village museum.
Chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli
Thirteenth-century church at the foot of the village, the oldest religious building in Apricale.
Chiesa della Purificazione di Maria
Parish church on Piazza Torracca, with a neo-Romanesque façade rebuilt in the nineteenth century.
Piazza Torracca
Main square at the upper edge of the village, overlooking the lower valley toward the French border.
Centro storico
Stone houses arranged in tiers down the slope, connected by stepped alleys called caruggi rather than streets.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the right months. The terraces are green, the olive harvest runs from October into December, and the light on the south-facing rock matches the Latin name. July and August push into the low thirties; the stone holds heat and the village empties between two and five. The Sagra della Pansarola falls on the 8 September patronal feast, with music, procession, and frying in the square. November through March is quiet. Many of the small osterie close on weekdays. The valley below clears after rain, and the view from Piazza Torracca reaches into France.