The Richard Whateley West Gallery is worth a visit, with 76 paintings by the Irish artist who moved to Alassio in 1890 and dedicated his art to capturing poetic glimpses of Alassio and the surrounding areas.
When he died in 1905, his close friends decided to create a venue to display his work; initiated by W.D. Caroe, in 1907 the Gallery was opened to the public, set up in the Memorial Gallery, leaving an extraordinary documentation of the pristine landscapes which Alassio was famous for at the end of the 19th century.
With an almost 15.000 volumes collection, the Gallery is also the English Library for the anglo-Saxon Books Fund seat.
address: Pinacoteca R. West | Viale Hanbury, 17 | 17021 Alassio (SV)
entrance: free
winter time: (October to May) Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 15:00 - 18:00
summer time estivo: (June to September) Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
entrance: free
winter time: (October to May) Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 15:00 - 18:00
summer time estivo: (June to September) Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Places of Interest
Museums
- Museum of Natural Science c/o Salesian Institute “Madonna degli Angeli”
Winter time:
pre-holiday 17:00 / 19:00;
holiday 9:00 / 12:00
Summer time: (01.07 / 15.09):
tuesday / thursday 21:00 / 23:30; pre-holiday 17:00 / 19:00
Galleries
- Richard West Gallery
at Biblioteca Viale Hanbury - Levi Gallery
at Palazzo Morteo
Libraries
- Public Library "R. Deaglio"
Piazza Airaldi e Durante - English Library
at Biblioteca Viale Hanbury - Library fraz. Moglio
Via Mazzini 12 - Moglio d'Alassio
Archeological sites
- Along the Roman road connecting Alassio to Albenga, we can admire many remains dating from the Roman times as well as an early building of the 9th century, the Church of Sant’Anna ai Monti, finely restored in the 60’s.
Churches
Architectural and Monumental sites
- Tower of Vegliasco
- Remains of the Santa Croce Tower
- Medieval remains near the Sanctuary od the Madonna della Guardia
- Sant’Ambrogio Parish Church
- Madonna del Vento Chapel (16th century façade)
- Saracen Tower (1576)
- English Library (built at the beginning of the 20th century).
Historical characters
- Father Francesco Maria Giancardi: first historian from Alassio. He is the author of (Imprese d’Alassio” in 1653 and he is the historian of most sanctuaries of Liguria. He died in 1970.
- Gerolamo Gastaldi: Secretary of the Republic of Genoa, plenipotentiary Minister, he became famous for his political testament (18th century).
- Luigi Jacopo Grassi: archeologist and historian, he illustrated the bronze tables of the Polcevera (19th century).
- Sergio Quinzio: philosopher, writer, Bible expert; he died on March 22nd, 1995.