Albenga is a nice city in the province of Savona in Liguria. The old medieval center has remained intact and the streets, shops and beautiful buildings are worth a visit.
The city has many towers, the three most important are also the highest. All the others do not have a real function and were built to show the power and wealth of the owners.
Looking at an aerial photo of Albenga, you can clearly notice the straight roads, the work of the Romans. At that time Albenga was an important port city on the coast. Later, the mouth of the Centa River moved and now the city is located more inland, along the river.
The discovery of an ancient Roman ship with full load was the reason for the foundation of the beautiful Roman Naval Museum.
There are several nice buildings in the city to visit.
On the central Piazza San Michel you can see the homonymous cathedral of the fourth century of C. It is said that the church was founded on the place where San Michel killed a snake that attacked the travellers.
Next to the cathedral is the ancient Baptistery of the fifth century. The building is very special, decagonal on the outside while the inside is octagonal with a beautiful ceiling.
The Piazzetta dei Leoni is also very nice. It is located to the left of the cathedral among the medieval houses of the Costa family. The three stone lions were brought from the coast from Rome in the '700.
In the sea, along the coast in front of Albenga you can see the very small island of Gallinara, since the last century a nature reserve.