The village is situated on the Ligurian Riviera on thte western side and it is distant from the chief town, Imperia, about 13 km. The town is formed by the central core of Cipressa on the hill and by the fraction of Lingeglietta and up to the coast with the localities of Piani and Aregai. The picturesque Lingueglietta, hill fraction of Cipressa, still conserves in its name the n of the name of the nobil family Lengueglia, lords of this area in the Middle Ages. It has recently been reviewed as one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. Its medieval urban layout is intact.

The church of the mid- thirteenth century, symbol of the town of Lingueglietta, is a unique example of a religious building trasformed in fortress at the times of the barbarian raids that plagued the western Ligurian coast in the mid-seventeenth century. In it blends the religious architecture of the late Middle Age iand the military architecture of ‘500, in a mix of rare and striking beauty. The apse, in particular, perserved, testifies an ancient effort to make light imposing stone walls.The interior has one nave, conserves the original paving slabs. The church, desecrated, has been exquisetely restored and now it is used in the celebration of civil marriages.