[3] The original town is on a low hill by the left bank of the River Merula which flows into the sea.

Marina di Andora is the development that spread along the coastline from the Middle Ages onwards, first as a fishing and boatbuilding center, then in the last 50 years as a tourist resort.

[6] During the Roman Empire, Castrum Andorae underwent substantial development due to its strategic location on the Via Julia Augusta.

Due to war, the family had to sell the territory and its castle in 1252 to the Republic of Genoa initiating a period of five centuries of peace.

The church of St James and St. Phillip, which is based on the cathedral in Albenga, was built in local stone with columns and pillars in the late Romanesque style.

The San Giovanni Battista St. John the Baptist church, on the right bank of the river near the medieval bridge, dates back to the 15th century in the parish of the same name.

In the centre of Marina di Andora, you can still see the bastion built in the 11th century as a defence against the Saracens; it now houses a pizzeria.

It has a marina with over 850 moorings, mainly for local boat owners, but 56 places are reserved for tourists in transit to the area.

Azzurro pesce d'autore (author blue fish) in May is a two-day gastronomic festival celebrating Andora and its commercial activity through two aspects of its territory: the earth and the sea.

The Beer Festival at the end of June attracts visitors coming from the north of Italy with live music and a disco in the outdoor arena near the beach.

It also is an agricultural town with fields of basil grown to make the world-famous pesto sauce, fruits, vegetables, olives for oil and vineyards.

The nearest airports are Genoa GOA Cristoforo Colombo and Nice NCE Côte d’Azur.