In 1543 Khayr al-Din, Barbarossa, shelled Laigueglia from the sea. The village had no defences and the people had already taken to the hills; it was the Genoese ships that drove the Turkish fleet off. In 1546 Dragut managed to land instead, sacked the place and took hostages. From those years come the village's three towers, of which only the one on the seafront is left.
Between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries a good number of Catalan families had arrived here and taken to fishing coral off Capo Mele. The baroque church of San Matteo is flanked by two twin bell towers with domes of coloured majolica. The population is 1,800.
Santuario di Nostra Signora delle Penne
Pesto alla Genovese
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Nearest airport: Genova, 73 km away
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📅 Every year, on 21 September
On 21 September Laigueglia celebrates Saint Matthew; for the occasion the "balette de San Maté" are made, sweet fritters of flour and raisins typical of the patronal feast.
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Outside Laigueglia, but an easy day trip away.
