Cipressa lies on the outskirts of the Rio San Lorenzo Valley, at the foot of the spurs that run from Monte Faudo (1149 m.) down towards the sea along a wide coastal band whose terracings are famed for flower and olive cultivation. According to legend, the name of the town derives from the flight of three shepherds from Cyprus who landed on the beach of "Aregai" (meaning "the drowned"). Destroyed by the Frassineto pirates and later by the Saracens, in the sixteenth century the town built the Gallinara watchtower on a rock that gives a clear view over a wide stretch of coast as far as France. Cipressa was always the object of contention between the local lords and the Benedictines of Villaregia, who dominated the territory for a long time.

The seventeenth-century church of the Visitazione holds a fine crucifix by Van Hike and a wooden Visitation attributed to the Maragliano school, as is the statue of the Nunziata held in the Oratorio dell'Annunciazione, built in the eighteenth century by Filippo Marvaldi. An alternative to these cultural visits is a trip along the mule trails on Monte Faudo; these are also ideal for mountain biking, although they are a particular favourite with motocross lovers, as can be seen from the deep tracks in the path.

The municipal district of Lingueglietta is a mediaeval town that has remained intact and preserved all the charms of the past: visitors can discover the signs of everyday life in bygone days, such as the ancient units of measure that are still marked below the central portico. Well worth visiting are the church of Maria Vergine and the annexed Oratorio dell'Annunciazione: the various styles of successive restoration work since it was first founded in the fourteenth century make this a composite building with a wealth of fascinating details. No less fascinating is the church of San Pietro, a rare example of a Ligurian "church-fortress", which is a mixture of late mediaeval religious architecture and sixteenth-century military design.