Imperia in a Day: Villa Grock, Tower, and Olive Oil

When you arrive at Villa Grock, on the hills of Oneglia, you instantly realize this is no ordinary villa. Built between 1924 and 1930 by the famous Swiss clown Adrien Wettach, known as Grock, this residence is a true eccentric work of art. With a mix of Art Nouveau, Baroque, and Oriental styles, every corner tells the story of its creator’s visionary personality. The 7,000 sqm park is a labyrinth of symbolism: fountains, spheres, sundials, and an elliptical fish pond. Inside, the Clown Museum offers an interactive journey through music rooms, distorting mirrors, and original objects. Don’t miss the panoramic terrace overlooking the city. Open Monday to Sunday (closed Tuesday and Thursday), tickets cost €5.50. An experience blending art, history, and a touch of magic, perfect for starting your day in Imperia.

When you arrive at Villa Grock, on the hills of Oneglia, you instantly realize this is no ordinary villa. Built between 1924 and 1930 by the famous Swiss clown Adrien Wettach, known as Grock, this residence is a true eccentric work of art. With a mix of Art Nouveau, Baroque, and Oriental styles, every corner tells the story of its creator’s visionary personality. The 7,000 sqm park is a labyrinth of symbolism: fountains, spheres, sundials, and an elliptical fish pond. Inside, the Clown Museum offers an interactive journey through music rooms, distorting mirrors, and original objects. Don’t miss the panoramic terrace overlooking the city. Open Monday to Sunday (closed Tuesday and Thursday), tickets cost €5.50. An experience blending art, history, and a touch of magic, perfect for starting your day in Imperia.

After the quirky Villa Grock, it’s time to immerse yourself in another story: that of olive oil. The Carlo Carli Olive Oil Museum is housed in a Liberty-style building from 1931, just steps from the center of Oneglia. Opened in 1992, it showcases the collection of Carlo Carli, founder of the eponymous company. Eighteen rooms trace six thousand years of olive civilization, from the Near East to the Mediterranean. It starts with a 12-million-year-old olive fossil, then Greek and Roman amphorae, oil lamps, and unguent jars. The highlight? The reconstruction of a Roman ship’s hold loaded with amphorae and an animal-powered oil press. The garden is an open-air museum: millennial olive trees, ancient presses, and jars. In 1993, it won a special mention at the Museum of the Year award. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 AM–1 PM and 3–6 PM; closed Sunday and Monday. Ticket: €5, reduced €2.50. An unmissable stop to understand the soul of this land.

Leave behind the scents and flavors of the oil museum, it’s time to dive into Imperia’s more turbulent past. The Torre di Prarola stands solitary on a rocky crag overlooking the sea, a few kilometers from Porto Maurizio. Built between 1562 and 1564 by the Republic of Genoa, this circular tower, about 8 meters high, served as a bulwark against incursions by Saracen and Barbary corsairs. The only entrance? A hatch at the top, reached by iron rungs fixed into the rock. Inside, hollow and empty, today unfortunately marred by litter. But the atmosphere is unique: the tower, still in good condition after restorations in 1978-79 and 2021, offers a breathtaking panoramic viewpoint, easily reachable on foot or by bike from the cycle path that runs from Imperia to San Lorenzo al Mare. You can’t enter, but you stop to gaze, imagining the guards scanning the horizon. A dive into history, amid the sound of the waves.