The name derives from the rock plateau on which the town was built. With Borghetto San Nicolò it is one of the two districts of Bordighera, situated at a few kilometers from the main centre. It is a settlement of tall, typical narrow Ligurian tower houses in pastel colors, surrounded by the remains of ancient walls built on a hill top. The district compact and composed, is surrounded by olive trees, greenhouses and palms that give the place an oriental atmosphere. Built at a height of about 220 meters above sea level, on a hilly area, it is possible to admire the whole valley, the Côte d'Azur below and the Alpes Maritimes behind.
A fortified village that still preserves part of the ancient city walls, was probably founded by some citizens of Taggia and, with other towns in the area, was part of the Captaincy of Ventimiglia. In 1686 Sasso rebelled to Ventimiglia and with Bordighera, Vallebona Borghetto San Nicolò, Soldano, San Biagio, Vallecrosia and Camporosso formed the Magnificent Community of Eight Places (la Magnifica Comunità degli Otto Luoghi). In 1815 it was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia and in 1861 it became part of the Kingdom of Italy.

Not to miss:
The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul dating from the XVIII century that preserves inside a famous fresco of the artist Maurizio Carrega.
The Church of Santa Maria Maddalena, in nearby Bordighera, built in the XVII century, the building was restored in the second half of the XIX century and decorated with stucco work and decorations in gold. The façade is of 1906. The portal features a 1742 fresco of James Raymond restored in 1922 by Louis Morgari and stucco decorations dated 1670 by Francesco Marvaldi. Inside it preserves a marble statue depicting Mary Magdalen in Glory, of the XVIII century by Filippo and Domenico Parodi, an XVIII century wooden statue of Our Lady of the Rosary and a wax statue in which the relics of Sant'Ampelio are kept. The Bell Tower was an previous lookout tower, transformed as it stands in the XVIII century.