The hotel next door to the church is the old pilgrims' hospice: it was built together with the church by the shipowners of Alassio between 1307 and 1310, to give a roof to those heading down to Rome. The reason for the hurry was the first Jubilee, proclaimed by Pope Boniface VIII in the bull of 22 February 1300: the Ligurian coast road filled with pilgrims and Alassio organised itself to take them in. The bill was paid by the part of the town that lived off ships.
What to see
Inside, the three altars are set one behind the other along the axis of the hall, which is odd in a rectangular church, where the minor altars normally stand to the sides. The vault was painted by two Alassio artists, Marco and Traverso, with the Virgin assumed into heaven and the Madonna del Carmelo.
The statue of the Assumption is attributed to Anton Maria Maragliano and the wooden crucifix is fifteenth-century. The two paintings on show come from Genoa: the Assumption of the Virgin is by Giovanni Andrea Ansaldo, the Madonna del Carmine by Giovanni Andrea De Ferrari. Three slate portals carved with sacred images open on the front; the date cut into the left-hand one points to 1506.
Visiting
The church is on via Vittorio Veneto, inside the built-up centre, and the front with its three portals can be read from the street. It is in parish use: opening follows the services, and outside those hours you may well find the door shut.
Our editors' tip
Before going in, stop at the slate portals and look for the date on the left one: it is the stone that says most about the age of the building. Inside, look at the three altars from the back of the hall, lined up: from there it is immediately clear why this church does not resemble the others in town.
