Everything is admirable, and every day the countryside is more beautiful. I am bewitched by this land.”  Claude Monet, the beloved French impressionist, knew he’d stumbled upon a gem when he first encountered Dolceacqua in the summer of 1883. Captivated, he returned in early 1884 where for three months he was based in nearby Bordighera.

Frequenting tiny Dolceacqua, Monet painted four impressionistic perspectives of the village and her enchanting 500-year-old bridge – the Ponte Vecchio. As if the spell has yet to be broken, this charming medieval village is little changed; the renditions appear as if painted only yesterday.