Dianese Gulf Municipalities
The Incompiuta in Diano Marina: ancient road on the Ligurian Sea
October 09, 2020
Among the most evocative places in the Gulf of Diano that we like to recommend to those who stay in our flats there is certainly the Incompiuta, the ancient road to the sea that connects Diano Marina to Imperia.
In this article we will tell you a bit about its history and the vicissitudes that led it to acquire its name!
The history of the Incompiuta in Diano Marina
We are in the early 1800s when Napoleon, King of Italy at the time, decided to start a sea road along Capo Berta. An enormous undertaking at the time, if we think of the approximately two thousand metres of road that would have constituted what was then known as the Statale 449. From the very beginning, however, something had to go wrong, because the work had to go on longer than expected, involving prisoners of war, municipalities and provinces in the work. With time it became more and more evident that the most suitable reference point for this road had to be another one.
This is why today hardly anyone remembers State Road 449 anymore, but they know the name of the Incompiuta well.
The Sixties
In the 1960s Anas resumed the project, rethinking it on the basis of an old mule track built by Austrian prisoners of the First World War, which connected Diano Marina to Imperia near the beach. It lasted, however, a few months, because from the beginning there were problems linked to the fall of large rocks.
The Nineties and Two Thousand
After about 30 years the Municipalities of Diano Marina and Imperia decided to make the road pedestrian and cycle path. In the 2000's work was carried out thanks to regional and provincial funds, but the most important parts were developed between 2006 and 2008, covering the Imperia section and the more eastern side, in the territory of Diano Marina.
The most recent works, on the other hand, were aimed at making the entire route safe, in order to finally guarantee the opening of the road, now destined exclusively for pedestrians and cyclists.
The characteristics of the Incompiuta
L’Incompiuta offre un percorso suggestivo sul mar Ligure, lungo circa 4 chilometri e parallelo alla strada statale Aurelia. Dal punto di vista amministrativo la responsabilità ricade su Imperia per la parte occidentale, e su Diano Marina per quella orientale.
Despite its unfortunate vicissitudes, this road to the sea can boast a charm all its own, to be enjoyed on foot or by bicycle. One of the aspects that make it more special is the fact that the Incompiuta overlooks the seabed of Capo Berta - Diano Marina - Capo Mimosa, a marine site of Community interest (SCI).
The nature around is typically Mediterranean: small shrubs, pines and various endemic plants, while the seabed is mainly sandy on the shore, and more rocky offshore. Along this route there are beaches and inlets with curious shapes, due to the erosion of the wind and the sea. A constant that meets the eye when walking along the Incompiuta is the outcrop of numerous rocks on the coast. One of these, called the "Galeazza rock", we crossed it on our tour of Imperia and its surroundings , and it is at the beginning of the Imperia stretch of the road to the sea.
Recently the Incompiuta was reopened after a period of inaccessibility due to a flood and a bad landslide. Now our favourite road has reopened, and we can only invite you all to take it, on foot or by bicycle, to fully enjoy the blue of our sea!
An overview from the Incompiuta road to the sea
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