Andora

For over ten years, Andora has been awarded the "Blue European Flag" of approval for the cleanness of the sea, the beauty of the beach and the quality of its services. This tourist resort stands at the mouth of the River Merola, between Capo Mele and Capo Cervo.


The beach is sandy, while the sea-bed is an interesting mixture of sand and rocks (there is also a wreck dating from the second world war): the two local diving centres organise courses and diving practice. The attractions are completed by a 700-berth leisure port and the local regattas organised by local sailing clubs. The recently created "Whale Sanctuary", which runs from Tuscany to Cannes, has its centre in the waters off Andora, in a stretch of sea where whales can often be sighted.



Andora was apparently founded by some exiles from Phocaea (Asia Minor) before the arrival of the Romans and the construction of the Via Julia Augusta.


The thirteenth-century castle of the Clavesana family is quite far from the coast and from Andora Marina, the oldest part of the town. The complex includes the Paraxo, which was the residence of the Clavesana family and later the seat of the Genoese administrators, and the tower-gate to the castle. Not far away is the church of Santi Giacomo e Filippo: like the tower, this is built of Capo Mele rock and is a remarkable example of Ligurian late-Romanesque style. The so-called Roman bridge over the Merola is actually a mediaeval construction. It is one hundred metres in length and has ten arches, three of which are hump-backed.



Colla Micheri lies in the valley area between Andora and Laigueglia along the Via Julia Augusta. This very ancient town became well known thanks to the work of the Norwegian ethnologist and explorer Thor Heyerdhal. Other itineraries, which can be made by mountain bike, take you to the municipal districts of Rolla and Conna. The Merola nature reserve is a great attraction for birdwatchers.