Bussana Vecchia Ruins

Address: Bussana Vecchia, Sanremo area, Liguria, Italy

Bussana Vecchia is a ruined medieval hill village in Liguria, Italy, noted today as an artist community built among earthquake-damaged structures. The village is a distinct cultural attraction near the Ligurian coast.

The site is a compact cluster of stone ruins and rebuilt houses focused around a ruined church and small piazza, with artist studios, galleries and cafés interspersed among the narrow lanes. It is typically visited on day trips from nearby coastal towns and offers views over the surrounding olive groves and sea.

A violent earthquake in 1887 caused severe damage and the original inhabitants relocated downhill, leaving the old hill village largely abandoned. From the mid-20th century onwards the empty buildings attracted artists and restorers who reoccupied and adapted parts of the village while leaving much of the ruined character intact.

Located inland from the Ligurian coast in the province of Imperia, the village sits on a hillside roughly 10-15 kilometres north of Sanremo and is reached via local roads from the Riviera.

• Abandonment and reoccupation: Abandoned after an 1887 earthquake and later reoccupied by artists and residents from the mid-20th century, creating an artist colony within the ruins.
• Proximity to Sanremo: A short drive from the Ligurian coast and about 10-15 kilometres from Sanremo, making it a common day-trip destination from the Riviera.

What to See#

• Old village and ruined church: The ruined medieval village core centred on a partially collapsed parish church and a small piazza, with narrow lanes climbing the hillside.

• Visit Bussana Vecchia on a weekday morning or late afternoon to avoid the weekend surge from nearby Sanremo and to see artists at work when the village is quieter.
• Enter from Bussana Nuova and follow the pedestrian paths upward into the old village-explore the narrow lanes and peek into studio doors; many visitors only photograph the main square and miss the maze of ateliers above.
• Be prepared that facilities are limited and some buildings are private studios; spend time chatting with artists in their open workshops for a more authentic experience than the few souvenir stalls near the entrance.