Imperia

Imperia (pronounced [imˈpɛːrja] ⓘ; Ligurian: Inpêia [iŋˈpeːja] or Inpéria) is a coastal city and comune in the region of Liguria, Italy.

Benito Mussolini created the city of Imperia on 21 October 1923 by combining Porto Maurizio and Oneglia, as well as the surrounding village communes of Piani, Caramagna Ligure, Castelvecchio di Santa Maria Maggiore, Borgo Sant'Agata, Costa d'Oneglia, Poggi, Torrazza, Moltedo and Montegrazie.

The Dorias sold the town to Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy in 1576, and Oneglia essentially remained a Savoyard enclave in the Republic of Genoa until Italian unification.

Mussolini created the city of Imperia on 21 October 1923 by the union of Porto Maurizio and Oneglia and the surrounding village communes of Piani, Caramagna Ligure, Castelvecchio di Santa Maria Maggiore, Borgo Sant'Agata, Costa d'Oneglia, Poggi, Torrazza, Moltedo and Montegrazie.

Imperia consists of the two historical districts of Porto Maurizio and Oneglia, which lie on either side of the River Impero that gives its name to the city.

Oneglia (Inéja in Ligurian) lies on an alluvial plain to the east of the Impero, and with its working port is the most modern and industrialized of the two districts.

Imperia is served by the Autostrada A10 motorway, also known as L'Autostrada dei Fiori which runs along the Ligurian coast between Genoa and Ventimiglia on the French border.

A representation of Porto Maurizio in the early 1800s.
Porto Maurizio
Cathedral San Maurizio
Autostrada dei Fiori (A10) , crossing the valley above Oneglia