ALBENGA  , a

town and episcopal see of Liguria, Italy, on the N.W. coast of the Gulf of Genoa, in the province of Genoa, 522 m . S.W. of Genoa by rail . Pop . (1901) 6248 . Albenga is the ancient Album Ingaunum or Albingaunum, the chief town of the Ingauni, one of the most important of the Ligurian tribes, whose territory reached as far as Genoa . Under the empire it was a municpium; an inscription records the restoration of the walls, forum, harbour, &c., by Constantius A.D . 354 . A little way out-side the town to the E. is a well-preserved Roman bridge nearly 500 ft. long and 112 ft. wide, with ro arches, each,with a span of 37 ft . It belonged to the coast road and is now known as Ponte Lunge . To the S. of the town is a conspicuous monument, 27 ft. high, in the form of a rectangular pillar, resembling a tomb; but as there is no trace of a door to a sepulchral chamber it may be. a shrine . In the town itself there are no Roman remains; but there is a good Gothic cathedral in brick, and an interesting octagonal baptistery, attributed to the 8th or 9th century, the arches being supported by ancient columns, and the vaulting decorated with mosaics . Some of the medieval palaces of Albenga have lofty brick towers .

See A. d'Andrade in Relazione dell' Ufficio Regionale per la

Con servazione dei monumenti del Piemonte e della Liguria (Turin, 1899), 114 seq .