The name derives from St Bartholomew, to whom the parish church is dedicated to. Town in the province of Imperia, on the Riviera Ligure di Ponente, in the Valley Steria, it is composed of three major fractions, San Bartolomeo, Chiappa and Pairola (village built with the gains of coral fishing and the sale of olives) and a series of smaller villages, as Freschi, Molini, Paiolo, Rocca, Rovere, San Simone, Steri, Tre Molini, Viali and Richieri (ancient center full of mills). San Bartolomeo is mainly devoted to tourism and oil production, its streets are enriched with geraniums and bougainvillea, which gives the country a note of colour, the avenues are shaded by fragrant orange trees. The resort offers numerous sea activities, pleasant horse riding and the chance to practice different sports activities in combination with excellent local specialities and wines (such as Vermentino).
The excavation of exhibits and traces of the Via Julia Augusta show that the foundation of the village dates to the period of colonization by Rome. The town was invaded by the Celts in 300 B.C. and the inhabitants allied with the Carthaginians during the Punic wars. San Bartolomeo also submitted the invasion by the Barbarians and Saracens. In the XV century the local economy was based on the collection and sale of red coral and together with other municipalities of the area, a small fleet was built to protect the precious cargo during its exportation. Over the centuries the territory belonged to the Clavesana Family to the Del Carretto and the Republic of Genoa until the acquisition French Empire in 1797, the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1815 and in that of Italy in 1861.

Not to miss:

The Church of St. Bartholomew which features columns, a decorated pediment and small niches that flank the main portal. Built in the late Middle Ages and ruined by the earthquake of 1887, of the original structure remains only the Bell Tower. Inside it preserves a marble baptismal font, 1483, an altarpiece by Raphael and Giulio De Rossi dating from the second half of the XVI century.
The Church of Our Lady of the Snows, that dates from the XVII century is located in Pairola, with a Bell Tower built in the XVIII century by Philip Marvaldi and preserves inside a wooden statue of 1770.
The Church of Saints Giacomo and Mauro erected in the XVII century in the village of Chiappa.
The Oratory of St. Anne was built in the XVI century, in Paiolo, which contains an altarpiece dating from the second half of the XVI century, designed by Giulio De Rossi.
The Sanctuary of Nostra Signora della Rovere.