Pontedassio is the first significant village up the valley from Imperia and home to the Museo Storico degli Spaghetti — a small museum devoted entirely to the history of Italian pasta, run by the pasta-maker Agnesi whose factory is nearby. The museum traces the origins of pasta from ancient grain cultivation through the industrialisation of production in Liguria, with a particular focus on the role the coastal towns around Imperia played in the dried pasta trade.
It is an oddly engaging hour, partly because the subject is so specific and partly because the collection includes genuine artefacts — antique pasta-making equipment, historical documents, advertising material — rather than just information panels. The museum is small, the admission modest, and the village itself is pleasant for a short walk before continuing up the valley.