Description of the attraction
Oneglia is a quarter in the Ligurian town of Imperia, which until 1923 was an independent commune. In the 8th century, after the departure of the Lombards, Oneglia became a papal possession, but was soon destroyed by the Muslim pirates who were raging in the Ligurian Sea in those years. The city was later rebuilt under the name Ripa Uneliae and became the property of the bishops of Albenga. In 1298, Oneglia and neighboring Porto Maurizio were bought by the noble Genoese family Doria, which ruled here until the 16th century. It was in Onegl that the famous commander Andrea Doria was born in 1466.
In 1576, Oneglia and Porto Maurizio became part of the Savoyard Empire - at the same time the period of the city's development as a major port began. The Genoese, with whom the Savoy fought in the Second Genoese-Savoy War of the 17th century, and Napoleon during his invasion of Italy, also looked at the tidbit. In 1814, Oneglia became the capital of the province, and in 1861 it became part of the united Italy.
In contrast to neighboring Porto Maurizio, which is located on a promontory, Oneglia is spread over an alluvial plain at the mouth of the Impero River. Residential areas occupy the surrounding hills, and the historic quarter faces the Ligurian Sea. Local attractions include the Church of San Giovanni Battista in the very center of Oneglia, built in the late Baroque style in 1762, Piazza Ulisse Calvi with a large 18th century palace, which now houses the school, and Villa Groca, whose real name - Villa Bianca. The latter stands on a hill in a residential area. It once belonged to the Swiss clown Grock, by whose name she became known. Oneglia's main square, Piazza Dante, is flanked by a continuous row of neoclassical porticoes. Some of the porticoes have characteristic Piedmontese features, others are built in a typical Ligurian style. Piazza Dante is home to the famous Caffe Pasticceria Piccardo café with a century of history - it is noted in all guidebooks to the Empire as a favorite resting place of the bohemian public of the past.
