Deiva Marina

History

Although mentioned in documents since Carolingian period, the territory was hard to reach by land because of the high mountains surrounding it and by sea, because of the lack of a harbour. A number of small villages scattered the inland, while the seafront could not be inhabited because of the incursions of Muslim Barbary pirates. Local people were often fishermen, but at night would retreat inland to the historic center of Deiva near the church. Two watch towers, built in the 16th century, were the only fortifications, where the population could hide, and today are in the coat of arms of the municipality. The square tower, near the church, about one kilometer from the sea, has been preserved and restored. The round one, near the sea, was partially demolished by a flash flood in 1852.

In 1874 the railway along the Ligurian coast was completed and Deiva became easier to access: a few houses were built near the railway station, including an inn called "Albergo Savoia". The rest of the coastal area was partially used by a factory and later also for military defense. The only remarkable building built near the seashore in the first half of the 20th century was "Villa Schiaffino", a villa in the Art Nouveau style.

The transformation of Deiva into a holiday resort became possible only in 1932, when the railways (including the railway station) were moved about 1 km inland, leaving a wide usable seafront, but really took place after World War II. Meanwhile, connection to the main Italian towns was greatly improved both by the construction of the motorway A12 and by the reuse of abandoned railway tunnels for local car traffic. This encouraged in the Sixties and Seventies the construction of many apartment buildings, to be used as second houses.