Liguria · Imperia
Badalucco
A medieval village wrapped in a bend of the Argentina torrent, with murals on its caruggi and a Slow Food bean on its terraces.
Known for
STOCCAFISSO
Badalucco-style stockfish stewed with tomato and olives, celebrated the third Sunday of September at the village festival.
FAGIOLO RUNDIN
Indigenous bean of the Argentina Valley terraces, a Slow Food Presidium and the basis of the local Città dell'Olio cuisine.
MURALS IN THE CARUGGI
Contemporary murals and trompe-l'oeil panels painted across the stone alleys of the centro storico, a 1980s art project on the medieval shell.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: San Giorgio, 23 April
Why come
Badalucco sits in the middle Valle Argentina, fifteen kilometers north of Imperia. The torrent that gives the valley its name runs in a wide bend below the village. The site changed hands between Ligures and Rome in 181 BC, became a fief of the Counts of Ventimiglia, and passed to the Republic of Genova in 1259.
The seventeenth century rebuilt the parish Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta e San Giorgio in full Baroque, with a square bell tower and a fifteenth-century polyptych attributed to Giovanni Canavesio. The caruggi of stone houses are painted with contemporary murals and trompe-l'oeil, a more recent layer over the medieval shell. The Rundin bean, an indigenous variety grown on the terraces, is a Slow Food Presidium. Stoccafisso alla badalucchese, stockfish stewed in tomato and olives, is the dish: the third Sunday of September brings the Stockfish Festival to the square.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Badalucco’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta e San Giorgio
Seventeenth-century Baroque parish church with a square bell tower, holding a fifteenth-century polyptych attributed to Giovanni Canavesio and a seventeenth-century wooden crucifix.
Chiesa di San Niccolò
Hilltop church above the old village, on the site of a former noble castle that served as a lookout over the valley.
Ponte sull'Argentina
Stone bridge across the torrent that wraps the village, connecting the centro storico to the valley road.
Centro storico
Stone caruggi painted with murals and trompe-l'oeil panels, a contemporary art layer over the medieval grid.
The slow-trip planner
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We recommend
Where to eat and stay
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to — a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
UmamiRistorante
Umami carries one Gambero Rosso fork (79/100), plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.
Cian de BiàRistorante
A Slow Food snail, at Cian de Bià.
Living here
- Population 1,072
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Genoa, 1 h 57 min drive
- Regional capital Genova, 2 h 2 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 179 m
- Population: 1,072
- Surface area: 16.1 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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