Ospedaletti

The end of the cycle path surrounded by nature

After accompanying visitors to discover much of the route between the sea and mountains of the Riviera di Ponente the bike path ends in Ospedaletti a pearl of rare beauty curled up in a natural amphitheater between Capo Nero and Capo Sant’Ampelio. Close to Sanremo, Ospedaletti has an enviable climate and rich vegetation that turns this place into one of the most fascinating parts of Liguria.

Discover Ospedaletti: between myth and modernity

Originally Ospedaletti was founded by the Knights of Rhodes and then developed more and more by the Knights of Malta. Legend has it that a ship sank in the waters close to the area that today makes up the town of Ospedaletti. The whole crew survived and after swimming to the beach, settled there and built a hospice to give shelter to pilgrims in the Holy Land. This is also the legend from where the name of Ospedaletti (refering to the hospitality of the place) derived.

One part built around the sea, the other going slightly inland, Ospedaletti is a multifaceted village that offers everything tourists may wish: villas, hotels, bars, restaurants … all of it wrapped in diverse sub-tropical vegetation: palm trees, eucalyptus, lemon trees and flowers of every type with abundant colors to brighten the view.

On the hills instead, in a outstanding position over the Via Aurelia we then find a interesting building, it is the vacation home of carmaker Fiat, where privileged employees can spend their holidays. Today the palazzo, after some time in disrepair, was restaurated and converted into a residence.

The last stretch of cycle path: everything you need to know

The bike path, leaving the center of San Remo along the seaside promenade of the so called Corso Imperatrice leads through the long tunnel of Capo Nero (ca. 1,7 km) re-opened in 2014 and quite interesting to pass as it was painted with frases and tweets reminiscing about  famous moments of the cycling race “Milano-Sanremo”. The final part of the track does not hold any difficulties and the bike path ends here in one of the last Italian villages before arriving in France.