Madonna della Grazie trail

Open
Difficulty: Average
Length: 2.3 km

This trail has a fascinating history. Legend has it that the name of Alassio is derived from Adelasia, the daughter of Emperor Otto the Great. She ran off with a squire named Aleramo and settled on the hills above the Baia del Sole, giving rise to the Aleramici dynasty.

Alassio’s oldest coast of arms, depicting Adelasia on a tower, was found in the church of Madonna della Grazie, which is on the first part of this walk.
The tower shown on the crest is Vegliasco tower, which is where Adelasia took shelter with her lover Aleramo and where this trail ends.

If you decide to go for a walk on this trail, start in Piazza Sant'Ambrogio and walk uphill towards Via Michelangelo, passing the Istituto Salesiano on your left. From here, cross the railway line via the pedestrian bridge and continue walking along the road which climbs gently uphill.

On the right-hand side of the bend there is a flight of cobbled steps which climbs quite steeply past the walls of villas and gardens and, after crossing a road, leads to the distinctive collection of houses at Castè, meaning “castle”. This name reflects the fact that there was probably once a fortress on this site. And this is where we find the church of Madonna delle Grazie, built in 1266 on the site of Alassio’s old castle and repeatedly remodelled over the years.

The façade of the church has a black stone entrance topped with a fresco of the Madonna of Peace, painted in 1946 by local artist Alberto Beniscelli. Inside there is a splendid floor made from marble and slate tiles, which is typical of Ligurian churches. The main altar, dating back to the 1700s, features an altarpiece depicting the nativity of Mary by Giovanni Carlone, one of Genoa’s most important painters of the period. Alassio’s coat of arms is displayed on the organ gallery.

After a visit to the Madonna delle Grazie chuch, which is really worth the effort, continue your walk to the Vegliasco tower, a Genoan tower from the 15th or 16th century which marks the end of this fascinating journey through the history and legends of Alassio.

LBL_DETTAGLI_PERCORSO:

Difficulty	Average
Distance	2.3 km
Highest point	228 mt
Route time	75'

The starting point is not far from the railway station, walking up along Via Michelangelo to the first bend, you’ll see a villa with a gigantic araucaria tree in its garden that that towers above the perimeter wall.
The route starts here: take the path on the right, indicated by , which heads up towards the Conchetta region with a sharp initial bend.

A little further uphill, at a colourful votive shrine dedicated to Our Lady, cross the paved road where the route leaves the houses behind continuing between strips of land overgrown with acanthus and ailanthus. Shortly afterwards, you arrive at the old village of Casté, which surrounds the Madonna delle Grazie Church; a characteristic alleyway leads up between the colourful houses to the small square in front of the church building, passing by an old wash-house with a fountain.

Continue along the paved road that heads up towards the summit of the “Due Vie” region, you will come to three fork routes in close succession: at the first, marked by another small shrine, keep to the right, at the second turn left and at the third you head up the steepest route, facing right.
Carry on uphill past the villas and after a rather long stretch on paved road, on the left, you’ll be back on the cobbled track, signposted as before, with , when you come to a wide ramp* that turns off to the left of the road at a large carob tree.

The views are both towards the sea and the hamlet of Moglio, the gardens give way to Mediterranean scrub; characteristic sloping arenitic layers emerge from the vegetation.

A last stretch of grassy mule track between young carob trees leads to a paved road.

Below the Palazzo region, the view is both towards the sea and to the hills: visible landmarks are the dividing lines towards the Merula valley on one side and Mount Tirasso, with the sanctuary in clear view on the other; just as impressive, is the view of the hamlet of Moglio on the southward slope.

The downhill route begins with the short concrete ramp (trail sign ) that crosses, coming from the east, the uphill route at the intersection with the town road.

You walk along a short flat stretch which offers an unusual view of the Gallinara Island and you find yourself sandwiched between the two walls that define the steep mule track.
All around, there are abandoned olive groves, invaded by the overgrowth of Aleppo pine, downy oak, carob, manna ash, hawthorn, rowan, terebinth, alaternum and scotanum.

The cobbled road quickly changes level, and the olive groves are replaced by the gardens of the villas in the Rangé region. At this point, you come to a paved town road which you follow downhill for a few metres until you come to the original trail which leads away from the road going down terraced steps.
About hundred metres of paved alleyway, a few more steps and you are back in Via Michelangelo, at a magnificent gate with imitation ashlar decoration. It is easy to return to the town centre from here: the bridge over the railway is just a few steps away and the parish Church tower can be seen towering over the houses a short distance away.