Patronal Feast of Saints Philip and James

A village festival that opens the Airole summer

In the heart of the Val Roia, where the Roia stream carves one of the most secluded valleys in the Ventimiglia hinterland, the small municipality of Airole (Province of Imperia) celebrates its two patron saints, the apostles Philip and James, every May 1st. It is the first event in the village's long summer calendar, the series of appointments that from May to August enlivens the narrow streets and the main square of the village.

Devotion and community

The feast revolves around the Piazza dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo (Square of Saints Philip and James), the true living room of the village, where religious celebration intertwines with community gathering. Airole has only a few hundred inhabitants, and for this reason, the patronal feast retains an authentic and familiar character, far from the tourist-driven logic of the nearby coastal resorts of the Riviera dei Fiori.

The village of Airole

Perched along the road that climbs from Ventimiglia towards the French border, Airole is a typical Ligurian valley village, with houses packed tightly together and narrow alleys climbing the slope. The feast of the patrons is an opportunity to discover this little-known corner of western Liguria, where agricultural and religious traditions continue to mark the year.