Situated in the Nervia Valley, Dolceacqua is dominated by the striking 12th-century Doria Castle and stone bridge that was immortalised in a series of paintings by Claude Monet including one titled The Castle At Dolceacqua, completed in 1884.
The building is regarded as the first stonecastle built by the Welsh princes and was the stronghold of Rhys ap Gruffydd, prince of the medieval kingdom of Deheubarth.
They saluted and lowered the ridiculous cotton string that barred the road to the castle heights, which meandered up the hillside past the thick stone walls and into an immense central courtyard.