Bassamarea, San Bartolomeo al Mare: A Roman Milestone Counted 553 Miles From Here to Rome

Italy | San Bartolomeo al Mare | Imperia, Liguria

A stone found in 1837 in front of the church of San Giacomo, a short distance inland from this beach, carries an inscription marking the distance to Rome at exactly 553 miles — roughly 818 kilometres — and dates to 13 or 12 BC, placed along what was then the Via Julia Augusta, the Roman road running this stretch of coast. I find something genuinely grounding about swimming on a beach a short walk from a stone that was already telling travellers precisely how far they’d come, more than two thousand years before anyone built a beach club here.

The wider gulf has its own scattered Roman history beneath the water as well as above it. A Roman ship from Spain wrecked in the Claudian-Neronian era somewhere in these waters, its remains recovered and now held at the Communitas Diani museum a short drive away, alongside paleontological material excavated directly from sites in San Bartolomeo al Mare itself. Traces of an even earlier Roman mansion, called Lucus Bormani, destroyed sometime between the 1st and 2nd centuries, have also been identified nearby — a detail that places organised settlement on this exact stretch of coast considerably earlier than the medieval village whose name the town still carries.

That medieval history runs through several changes of hand before settling into anything like its modern form. The area belonged to the Marquis of Clavesana and later the Del Carretto family until the close of the 14th century, then came under Genoa’s control, the Ligurian Republic in 1797, briefly the French Empire under Napoleon from 1805, the Kingdom of Sardinia after 1815, and finally the Kingdom of Italy in 1861. The modern municipality itself wasn’t formally established until 1947 — meaning the town as an administrative entity is barely eighty years old, even though people have clearly been living and travelling through this exact stretch of coast for over two thousand years.

Getting There: About an Hour From Genoa

I drove the A10 motorway from Genoa, with San Bartolomeo al Mare easily reached from the coast road regardless of which direction I was coming from — the town sits directly between Diano Marina and Cervo on the Riviera di Ponente. The beach itself, on the Lungomare delle Nazioni, sits on the western, Diano Marina side of town.

By train, the nearest station is at Diano Marina, about two kilometres away, with regional services running the length of the Ligurian coast. Local buses connect San Bartolomeo al Mare to its neighbouring resorts, and the town’s own long pedestrian promenade makes walking between beaches genuinely pleasant rather than a chore.

The Beach: Fine Sand, Gradual Entry, a Sailing School on Site

The shore here is fine and golden, the seabed sloping gently enough that I’d recommend it without hesitation for families with younger children or anyone less confident in the water — a genuinely comfortable, gradual entry rather than the steep drop-offs I’ve found at some of the rockier coves further along this coast. Sunbeds and umbrellas sit spaced at a comfortable distance from each other, with a wide stretch of open beach as well.

A sailing school operates directly from the beach, with equipment available for anyone wanting lessons or just a rental, and the facility includes beach wheelchairs for visitors with mobility needs, letting them reach the water independently or with staff assistance. Hot and cold showers, changing areas, and secure storage cabins cover the practical side, and the kitchen serves Ligurian specialities for anyone wanting a proper meal rather than just a snack between swims.

The Wider Golfo Dianese

San Bartolomeo al Mare sits at the heart of what’s called the Golfo Dianese, a stretch of coast taking in Diano Marina, Cervo, Diano Castello, and the inland villages of Diano San Pietro and Villa Faraldi. Cervo, a short drive or walk away, is regularly named among Italy’s most beautiful villages, its Corallini Church looking out over the sea above narrow alleyways once home to coral fishermen and craft shops. The promenade running through San Bartolomeo al Mare itself connects through to both neighbouring towns, flat and fully walkable, with a separate cycling and pedestrian path, the Passeggiata dell’Incompiuta, running inland toward Imperia along the old railway line.

Bassamarea, on the western seafront of San Bartolomeo al Mare, sits a short walk from a Roman milestone placed along the Via Julia Augusta in 13 or 12 BC, marking the distance to Rome at 553 miles, and within the same gulf where a Roman ship from Spain wrecked in antiquity, its remains now held in a local museum. The beach itself is fine sand with a gentle, gradual entry, a working sailing school, and full accessibility facilities including beach wheelchairs. The town’s own administrative history is barely eighty years old despite the area’s documented occupation reaching back over two thousand years. About an hour from Genoa by car, with Diano Marina and Cervo both within easy walking or cycling distance.

Drive the A10 to the San Bartolomeo al Mare area, or take the train to Diano Marina and walk or take a short bus ride. Visit the Communitas Diani museum if Roman history interests you — the shipwreck recovered from this same gulf is genuinely worth seeing. Walk or cycle on to Cervo if you have the time.