Mendatica
Mendatica: a charming mountain village
Mendatica is a small municipality located on the Frontè mountain in Liguria with only 161 inhabitants. The village is known for the breathtaking view from the top of the mountain overlooking the city of Pieve di Teco. The municipal territory of Mendatica also extends to part of the adjacent Tanarello, with its fractions of San Bernardo, Monesi di Mendatica, Valcona Soprana, Valcona Sottana, Valcona Secae and Le Salse.
The territory is part of the Ligurian Alps Regional Natural Park and boasts numerous peaks, including Cima Garlenda, Cima Omo dell'Alpetta, Cima Caruetta, Bric Scravaglion, Poggio San Martino, Poggio Forcarau and Colle San Bernardo di Mendatica.
The name of the village
The name Mendatica derives from Liguria and means "to send water"; this is because the area is rich in water sources.
The history of Mendatica
According to local sources, the village of Mendatica was founded after the siege and destruction of Albenga in 644 by the Lombards. Part of the primitive population of Ingauna took refuge inland in the present-day municipality, creating settlements or small villages scattered among the hills. Among the first nuclei, the village called Mendatica will later arise.
Frequent invasions and raids by Saracen pirates further increased the population of the villages, which moved ever more towards the western hinterland. Despite the invasions on the coast, the Saracens also reached the hillside villages, including Mendatica.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire provoked the invasion of the Barbarians and the subsequent domination of the Byzantine Empire, which incorporated this area between the upper valley of the torrent Arroscia and the Tanaro in the Maritima Province of Italorum. In 643, the Lombard conquest of Lotharingia followed, as did the rule of the Franks with the establishment of the Albenga County, a territory in which the Cosian community was also included. In the second half of the 10th century, Mendatica passed to the constituted Marca di Torino and subsequently among the feudal possessions of the upper Tanaro and Arroscia valley of Bonifacio del Vasto and, at his death, of the son Anselmo VII Marchese di Clavesana.
The village today
Today, Mendatica is a charming mountain village offering a spectacular view of the valley below. The village is very elongated along the slope of the mountain, and during winter the village is illuminated by the sun only until early afternoon. Despite this, the village is very charming and offers many opportunities for tourists, including hiking or mountain biking, numerous local festivals and fairs, and delicious restaurants serving typical Ligurian cuisine.
Among the attractions of Mendatica, there are also the presence of numerous churches and towers, such as the church of San Bernardo, the bell tower of San Giovanni Battista, and the Castle of the Lizard. Moreover, the village is renowned for its typical cuisine, which includes pasta dishes such as pansarola and tajarin, as well as delicious Taggiasca olives and the precious extra virgin olive oil.
Mendatica is the ideal place for those seeking the peace and tranquillity of the mountain, far from the chaos of the big cities. The village offers a perfect combination of natural beauty, culture, and food in the splendid and evocative region of the Ligurian mountains.
