THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi

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THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi
THE OTHER
RIVIERA
The hinterland between
Varazze and Finale Ligure
THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi
THE OTHER
RIVIERA
The hinterland between
Varazze and Finale Ligure
The stretch of the Riviera delle Palme between Varazze and
Finale Ligure is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful on
the whole Ligurian Riviera, but its hinterland is even more
evocative. This is the Other Riviera, unique and unexpected.
It combines all the best of the region’s natural and historical
heritage for the joy of visitors.
Behind Varazze, Beigua Park protects an area of magnifi-
cent woods, brooks with really pure water, farmsteads and
views that goes as far as the eye can see, with so particular
geologic characteristics that the Park has received the mark
Unesco European Geopark.
Just a few bends and a several kilometres along the road
behind Finale and Noli will take you to the Manie Plateau.
This wild land was created by the geological whims of the
earth and has been preserved intact by the wisdom of those
who have lived here: the prehistoric Ligurians who inhabi-
ted its caves; the Romans who crossed it with their roads
and stone bridges; and finally the generations of peasants
who have obtained excellent olive oil and fine wine – and
all with the deep blue sea right below. Further inland, down
towards the Po Valley, are the Bormida Valleys, with their
huge, protected forests, feudal castles, mushrooms and
truffles, colourful villages, and more besides…

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THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi
BLOWING ART

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THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi
CHESTNUT
CULTURE

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THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi
LIGHTNESS
OF BEING

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THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi
BEIGUA PARK                                                          North Italy below
                                                                     you
                                                                                                    around) became one of
                                                                                                    the Unesco European
                                                                                                                                whole track leading from
                                                                                                                                Ventimiglia to Bocca
                                                                     It is easy to understand       Global Geoparks.            di Magra along the
The sacred mount protected                                           why Beigua was a sacred                                    watershed ridge. As it is
                                                                                                                                near the sea it’s wonderful
                                                                     mount. The reason is that
by Unesco                                                            mountains so near to the       Comparison                  to walk among beech
                                                                     sky are the favourite seat     between                     woods, meadows and
                                                                     of gods who can observe        two natural                 rocks along the ridge in
It does not reach the height of 1.300 meters, but it is
                                                                     the world till the last        environments                the park; here it is easy
magnificient and imposing. Its woods are bright green                horizon without obstacles.     A mountain, two natural     to understand that in
in summer and snow-white in winter; its ridges, open to              Here view sweeps               landscapes: beech,          Liguria mountains are as
all winds, overlook Genoa and the whole Liguria. Mount               southwards above the           durmast and chestnut        important as the sea.
Beigua is at the centre of a wild natural environment re-            whole coast of Liguria till    woods, damp areas and
                                                                     Corsica and northwards         meadows at high altitude
ally near to the sea and protected by an important Re-
                                                                     above the centre western       cover the northern
gional Natural Park. Beigua was sacred for the prehistoric           Alps with even the             mountainside whence
Ligurians and millenium after millenium shepherds have               perceiving of Monviso          waters move towards
engraved figures, crosses and symbols on its rocks.                  and Mount Rosa.                Po river; maquis and
                                                                                                    holm-oaks cover the steep
                                                                                                    southern mountainside
                                                                     Beigua Geopark                 sloping down towards
                                                                     Beigua massif is a             the sea.
                                                                     mountainous complex
                                                                     rich in geodiversity
                                                                     and biodiversity; here         Walking over the
                                                                     there are geological,          sea, near to the
                                                                     archaeological, naturalistic   sky
                                                                     and historical sites of        The wonderful Alta Via
                                                                     great value. For these         dei Monti Liguri goes
                                                                     reasons in 2005 Beigua         through the Beigua massif
                                                                     Natural Regional Park          with some of the most
                                                                     (and a wide area all           charming stages of the

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THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi
BEHIND VARAZZE                                                          On the hills
                                                                        of Varazze
                                                                                                       it is surrounded by an
                                                                                                       interesting nature trail.
                                                                                                                                   told at the Archaeological
                                                                                                                                   Museum housed in the

AND CELLE LIGURE                                                        Casanova, between
                                                                        the green countryside
                                                                        and the blue sea
                                                                                                       Pero: among holm
                                                                                                       oaks and chestnut
                                                                                                                                   centre of the village, and
                                                                                                                                   a “prehistoric” nature trail
                                                                                                                                   leads to the spots where
                                                                        In Casanova the smell          trees                       they lived and to the
Thick forests and cool mountain streams                                 of the sea mixes with          The landscape becomes       “megalithic road”.
                                                                        the aroma of maquis            wild and rugged as the
Inside the Beigua Natural Regional Park there is a wide                 herbs and flowers. The         road climbs towards         Wolves and sheeps
                                                                        panoramic little church of     Mount Beigua. The olive     Among the villages of
forest rich in waters and mushrooms that from the rocky
                                                                        Madonna della Guardia          trees give way to holm      Varazze, Cantalupo (the
coast of Piani di Invrea and from Varazze goes up to the                stands on a hilltop high       oaks and then chestnut      wolf sings) is the nearest
mount Beigua; it is dotted with some rural villages and                 above Varazze, not far         trees. Along the road       to the centre and the sea;
houses and scattered farmsteads. It is the true face of the             from the Chapel of             that cuts through the       its houses are surrounded
other Riviera: greenery and panoramic views, with your                  the Blessed Jacopo da          flowers and olive groves    by olive trees. Faie is in
                                                                        Varagine. He is Varazze’s      in Campomarzio, a           a panoramic position
head in the clouds and your feet in the warm Mediter-
                                                                        most famous historical         sign displays geodetic      open towards Genoa and
ranean.                                                                 figure, Bishop of Genoa        data (e.g. latitude,        Portofino promontory;
                                                                        and writer of “Legenda         longitude…) of the place;   perhaps the name of the
                                                                        Aurea”.                        in this way we learn that   village derives from the
                                                                                                       New Zealand’s Chatham       dialectal word “fèe” that
                                                                        A desert in a forest           Islands lie 12,000 km       means sheep.
                                                                        Varazze’s Eremo                below our feet, in the
                                                                        Carmelitano del Deserto        Antipodes.                  Castagnabuona
                                                                        (Carmelite Monastery of                                    The old village of
                                                                        the Desert) is a famous        Prehistoric Alpicella       Castagnabuona is located
                                                                        isolated seventeenth-          The woods of Alpicella      near the centre of Varazze,
                                                                        century friary. It is set in   were once inhabited by      on a westward-facing hill.
                                                                        a thick wood, where the        Neolithic peoples, who      A stone tower (perhaps
                                                                        only sounds are the singing    have left their traces in   built by the Saracens),
                                                                        of birds and the murmur        caves, gorges and rock      stands amongst the olive
                                                                        of streams and wind, and       shelters. Their story is    groves.

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THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi
In the hills of                   TASTE, DISCOVER, SLEEP          Museo Archeologico                            The hamlets of
Celle Ligure                                                      (Archaeological Museum)                       Celle Ligure
Sanda                             The hamlets of Varazze          Alpicella, Ph. 019 9399408                    Agriturismo Çele
The hamlet of Sanda,              Affittacamere Pizzeria          www.comune.varazze.sv.it                      via Sanda 30, Ph. 019 991936
one of the area’s earliest        Braceria Baccere Baciccia       Osho Arihant Varazze                          agriturismocele@libero.it
settlements, lies on the          (rooms) piazza IV Novembre 17   (Information Center &                         Agriturismo B&B La Natta
main road from Celle              Alpicella, Ph. 019 918005       Creativity House)                             di Monte Tabor
Ligure to Stella.                 www.baccerebaciccia.it          via Alpicella 28, Alpicella                   via Postetta 37
                                  Agriturismo Cascina             Ph. 019 918766                                Ph. 019 991580
Càssisi                           Vittoria                        www.oshovarazze.com                           www.nattadimontetabor.it
A long farming tradition is       via Al Deserto 18               Pasticceria Artigiana                         Azienda Agricola
still alive in Càssisi, a rural   Ph. 338 3884088                 Punto Dolce                                   Calcagno Palo
hamlet among the olive            Agriturismo Castello            (pastries) via Pero 22, Pero                  (farm, basil)
groves with nice views of         d’Alpicella (boxer breeding)    Ph. 019 9189021                               via Postetta 45
the sea and the hills. Here       via Ceresa 17, Alpicella        Rifugio Pratorotondo                          Ph. 019 993961
is a house-fortress of the        Ph. 019 918424                  (Alpine chalet)                               www.calcagnopaolobasilico.it
14th century.                     www.castelloalpicella.it        loc. Pratorotondo, Cogoleto                   B&B Il Castellaro
                                  Apicoltura Montali              Ph. 010 9133578                               via SS. Giacomo e Filippo 57
Pecorile and the                  (honey)                         www.rifugiopratorotondo.it                    Ph. 019 992995
Sistine Chapels                   via Campomarzio 5, Pero         Ristorante Agriturismo                        www.ilcastellaro.it
Further to the east               Ph. 019 918066                  Fonda                                         B&B Masseria Ganci
is Pecorile, home to              B&B Bricco Santo                via al Deserto 13                             via Ganci 20
the rural house where             via Tessarole 34                loc. Deserto, Ph. 019 918201                  Ph. 019 991836
Francesco Della Rovere            Castagnabuona                   agriturismo.fonda@libero.it                   B&B Il Sentiero dell’Arte
was born in 1414. He              Ph. 389 1259835                 Ristorante Agriturismo                        via Fighetto 62B
ruled as Pope Sixtus IV           B&B Da o Bensin                 La Tana degli Orsi                            Ph. 320 4225970
from 1471 to 1484 and             via Frandea 11, Alpicella       via Pratorotondo 3, Faie                      www.sentierodellartebb.
commissioned the Sistine          Ph. 019 97683, 348 1208884      Ph. 349 1046583                               blogspot.com
Chapel in the Vatican and         B&B La Rocca                    www.agriturismolatanadegliorsi.it             B&B Villa Ali
the less famous Sistine           via Campomarzio 23              Ristorante Da Carlin
                                                                                                                loc. Camprevi 10, Sanda
Chapel in Savona.                 Pero, Ph. 019 918429            via Campomarzio 71
                                                                                                                Ph. 019 992560
                                  328 3843107                     Pero, Ph. 019 918557
                                                                                                                334 5283698
                                  B&B Liguria                     Ristorante Pizzeria
                                                                                                                Centro Bonsai Caviglia
                                  via Pero 66                     Il Piccolo Ranch
                                                                                                                (bonsai centre) via Natta 27
                                  Ph. 019 918473, 348 0721051     via Monte Beigua 7
                                                                                                                Ph. 019 991602
                                  bbliguriavarazze@yahoo.it       Alpicella Ph. 019 918706
                                                                                                                www.centrobonsai.it
                                  Casa per ferie Foresteria       Sapori dell’Eremo
                                                                                                                Centro Ippico Celle
                                  della Croce (holidays home)     (typical products of
                                                                                                                (horse centre)
                                  loc. N. Signora della Croce     Carmelites) via Al Deserto 19
                                                                                                                via Bolano 14, Sanda
                                  Castagnabuona                   Ph. 019 918050
                                                                                                                Oleificio Cooperativo
                                  Ph. 019 95500                   Trattoria Ai Cacciatori
                                                                                                                Cellese
                                  Casa per ferie Parrocchia       piazza IV Novembre 14
                                                                                                                (oil mill) via Sanda
                                  S. Antonio Abate                Alpicella Ph. 019 918368
                                                                                                                Ph. 019 991062
                                  (holidays home)                 Trattoria Da Adolfo
                                                                                                                Ristorante Gemma
                                  piazza IV Novembre 3            via Pero 47, Pero
                                                                                                                loc. Natta 2
                                  Alpicella                       Ph. 019 918269
                                                                                                                Ph. 339 7997938
                                  Ph. 019 918117, 019 918107      Trattoria Fossello
                                                                                                                Trattoria dau Giancu
                                  Centro Ippico                   via Quinno 11, Casanova
                                                                                                                via Cassisi 179, Cassisi
                                  Free Horses Ranch               Ph. 019 95945
                                                                                                                Ph. 019 991681
                                  (horse centre)                  Trattoria La Vecchia
                                                                                                                www.daugiancu.it
                                  via Ceresa, Alpicella           Fattoria
                                                                                                                Trattoria Terrenin
                                  Ph. 340 8836813                 via Sciandra 10, Casanova
                                                                                                                via Sanda 102
                                  Hotel Ristorante Pizzeria       Ph. 019 918223
                                                                                                                Ph. 019 990976
                                  Monte Beigua                    Trattoria U Baracun
                                  via Monte Beigua 19             via Alpicella 1, Alpicella
                                  Monte Beigua, Ph. 019 931304    Ph. 019 918486
                                  www.beigua.it                   www.ubaracun.it

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THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi
A bit of sport                 TASTE, DISCOVER, SLEEP          Camping Gameragna
                                                                       The many hills                                                 via Parissolo 8, Gameragna
                                                                       surrounding Stella offer       Stella                          Ph. 019 706366
                                                                       endless fun for ramblers;      Town Hall Ph. 019 703409        www.campinggameragna.com
                                                                       they will find interesting     www.comune.stella.sv.it         Casa Museo Pertini
                                                                       tours on foot, by bike                                         (Pertini Home Museum, on
                                                                       or on horseback. Fans          Agriturismo Cà de Pin           booking)
                                                                       of unusual sports can          via Corona 95, San Bernardo     via Muzio 42, San Giovanni
                                                                       try the archery range          Ph. 019 7040013                 Ph. 019 706194
                                                                       in Reverdita, between          Agriturismo La Vallata          www.assopertini.it
                                                                       the Madonna del Salto          via Costa 13, loc. Gancia       Compagnia Arcieri
                                                                       Church and San Martino.        Ph. 019 703584, 339 3998115     5 Stelle (archery)
                                                                                                      www.agriturismolavallata.com    loc. Reverdita, San Giovanni
                                                                                                      Agriturismo Rio Lunei           Ph. 019 804220
                                                                       A President with               loc. Beghina 10, San Giovanni   339 7935958
                                                                       a pipe                         Ph. 019 706566                  www.arcieri5stelle.it
                                                                       The house where Sandro         www.riolunei.it                 Drosera Società
                                                                       Pertini (Italy’s President     Azienda Agricola                Cooperativa (walking,
                                                                       between 1978 and 1985)         Agrituristica Il Mulino         biking and tours with
                                                                       was born in 1896 is now        (“formaggetta savonese”         snowshoes)
                                                                       a museum situated in the       cheese)                         loc. Corona 28/1
                                                                       centre of the old village of   fraz. San Martino 167           San Bernardo
                                                                       San Giovanni. The family       Ph. 019 706303                  Ph. 019 703991
                                                                       tomb is housed in the          333 3838894                     347 4607057
                                                                       nearby cemetery.               www.paradisodistella.it         www.drosera.it

Stella
                                                                                                      Azienda Agricola                Ristorante Antica Greppia
                                                                                                      Pasquale Usai                   loc. Vetriera 4, Gameragna
                                                                       Typical cheese                 (farm, Sardinian cheese)        Ph. 019 703311
                                                                       The “formaggetta” of the       loc. Corona 177                 Ristorante Pancho Villa
                                                                                                                                      via Teglia 85, San Martino
Five hilltop hamlets                                                   area is one of the most
                                                                       characteristic Ligurian
                                                                                                      San Bernardo
                                                                                                      Ph. 019 703137                  Ph. 019 706367
                                                                       cheeses: a delicious,          Bar Tavola Calda Da Dele        Ristorante Pizzeria
Stella, overlooking the sea and infused with the perfu-                light cheese using 100%        (snack bar) via Dorino          La Capannina
med air of the Mount Beigua Natural Park, is made up                   organic goat’s milk in         Boristene 32                    loc. Rovieto Superiore 128
of five hamlets that remember the shape of a star with                 exactly the same way as        San Bernardo                    San Giovanni
                                                                       mountain people did in         Ph. 019 706464                  Ph. 019 703055
their reciprocal position. Inhabited by approximately th-
                                                                       times gone by. Grazing         B&B Gabriella                   Ristorante La Gattabuia
ree thousand people, it is set among the Mediterranean                                                loc. Contrada 75                piazza Poggi 27
                                                                       sheep and Sardinian
maquis and beech and chestnut woods. Gameragna has                     shepherds are a common         San Bernardo                    San Giovanni
a honeycomb-like layout and is close to the coast; San                 sight on the Ligurian hills    Ph. 019 703424                  Ph. 019 703211
Giovanni is the “capital”; San Martino overlooks the Teiro             for decades.                   immopegaso@libero.it            Ristorante
                                                                                                      B&B Gli Oleandri                Pizzeria Ligustico
Valley that reaches down to Varazze; San Bernardo is set
                                                                                                      loc. Gameragna 97               loc. Gameragna 2
against the thickly-wooded slopes of Montenotte; and                                                  Ph. 348 8342568                 Ph. 019 706384
Santa Giustina is situated at the foot of Giovo Pass.                                                 B&B La Luna dei Prati           Ristorante Trattoria
                                                                                                      via Donatelli 8, San Bernardo   La Girotta
                                                                                                      Ph. 019 7040059                 via Pippo 14, Santa Giustina
                                                                                                      www.lalunadeiprati.com          Ph. 019 706100
                                                                                                      Camping e Ristorante            Trattoria
                                                                                                      Dolce Vita                      Pizzeria Colomba
                                                                                                      via Rio Basco 62                via P. Rocca 13
                                                                                                      San Giovanni, Ph. 019 703269    San Martino
                                                                                                      www.campingdolcevita.it         Ph. 019 706285

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THE OTHER RIVIERA The hinterland between Varazze and Finale Ligure - Proloco Bergeggi
TASTE, DISCOVER, SLEEP

                                                                                                                                    The hamlets of Albisola
                                                                                                                                    Superiore
                                                                                                                                    Apicoltura Gaino (honey)
                                                                                                                                    via R. Poggi 32, Carpineto
                                                                                                                                    Ph. 019 488141
                                                                                                                                    info@mielegaino.com
                                                                                                                                    B&B La Collina dei Castagni
                                                                                                                                    loc. Campanile 3, Ellera
                                                                                                                                    Ph. 019 4009326
                                                                                                                                    347 4181948
                                                                                                                                    lacollinadeicastagni@gmail.com
                                                                                                                                    B&B e Ristorante La Locanda

VILLAGES
                                                                                                                                    di Nonna Teresa
                                                                       Nine holes among             December and January
                                                                                                                                    piazza Bandiera 7/1, Ellera
                                                                       olive trees                  (and during other periods
                                                                                                    of the year on request).        Ph. 019 49009
                                                                       Among olive trees, near

OF ALBISOLA                                                            the centre of Albisola
                                                                       Superiore, Filanda Golf
                                                                                                    Éllera
                                                                                                                                    www.lalocandadinonnateresa.it
                                                                                                                                    Casa per Vacanze Feré du Muin
                                                                                                                                    (Holidays home)

SUPERIORE
                                                                       Club offers its first nine
                                                                                                    Éllera, with its tiny squares   via Natale Rosselli 12, Ellera
                                                                       holes to people who
                                                                                                    and narrow old streets,         Ph. 019 49043, 340 7704763
                                                                       appreciate this healthy
                                                                                                    is a welcoming hamlet           cavferedumuin.albisolasuperiore@
                                                                       and smart sport. Mild
                                                                                                    that nestles between            live.com
                                                                       climate makes playing all
The country behind ceramics                                            the year round pleasant.     Sansobbia stream and the        Centro Ippico Albisolese
                                                                                                    hillside. It is an excellent    (horse centre)
The ceramics, produced by centuries in the Albisolas sto-                                           place to stop for a good        via Boraxe 102, Luceto
                                                                                                                                    Ph. 019 992010, 340 3665129
ves hidden among the narrow lanes near the sea, have                   Luceto                       night’s rest and some
                                                                                                    delicious food. Ramblers        Enoturist ä Cantin-ä
really bright colours. These hues can be found again on                Albisola Superiore is the
                                                                                                    can follow the path from        (Ligurian wines)
                                                                       gateway to a lush green
the façades of the houses and the shades of vegetation                                              Éllera to San Bernardo          via R. Poggi 19, Casino
                                                                       valley nestling between
of Albisolas first hinterland, but with more rustic tones.             the steep inland hills. It   in the Letimbro Valley,         Ph. 019 49262
                                                                                                    behind Savona.                  Golf Club La Filanda
                                                                       seems impossible that
                                                                                                                                    loc. Carpineto
                                                                       the sea is so close. The
                                                                                                                                    Ph. 019 489679, 347 2905867
                                                                       Sansobbia Valley acts
                                                                                                                                    www.filandaresort.com
                                                                       as Albisola’s reservoir of
                                                                                                                                    Presepe meccanico
                                                                       cool air and is dotted
                                                                                                                                    (mechanical crib) at San Matteo
                                                                       with villages with
                                                                                                                                    church, Luceto
                                                                       coloured stone houses,
                                                                                                                                    Ph. 019 487857
                                                                       humpback bridges and
                                                                                                                                    Ristorante Da Marietta
                                                                       old watermills. One of
                                                                                                                                    via Schiappapietra 17, Ellera
                                                                       the most interesting
                                                                                                                                    Ph. 019 49059, 347 8711486
                                                                       mechanical nativity scenes
                                                                                                                                    www.trattoriadamarietta.
                                                                       in Liguria can be visited
                                                                                                                                    beepworld.it
                                                                       in the crypt of Luceto’s
                                                                                                                                    Ristorante Del Molino
                                                                       modern church between
                                                                                                                                    piazza Cairoli 2, Ellera
                                                                                                                                    Ph. 019 49043
                                                             16   17
Sassello                     spots of Savona’s inland       canoeists and kayakers.
                                                                      Italy’s first Orange         area. Palazzo Perrando         It is possible to spend a
                                                                      Flag                         houses a library, a cultural   nice day walking along
                                                                      Although it has a            centre and the museum          the lake above San Pietro
                                                                      population of less than      of archaeology and local       d’Olba and making a
                                                                      two thousand, the            history founded by the         pause at the picnic area.
                                                                      municipal territory of       last descendant of the
                                                                      Sassello covers an area      Perrando family. The           “Urbe” like Rome?
                                                                      of over 100 square           museum also boasts             Rock drawings and
                                                                      kilometers. Its extensive    paintings by Piola and         Roman coins reveal that
                                                                      woods are inhabited          Cambiaso, a seventeenth        these magnificent forests
                                                                      by roe deer, hawks and       century carved wooden          have been inhabited
                                                                      foxes, all of which can be   nativity scene and a           uninterruptedly since
                                                                      spotted when walking,        collection of ceramics.        prehistoric times.
                                                                      cycling or driving through                                  However the name
                                                                      the beech and pine           Who said that                  “Urbe” has nothing to do
                                                                      groves. Sassello is the      gluttony is a deadly           with Urbe caput mundi.
                                                                      first Italian village that   sin?                           Generations of peasants
                                                                      has received the Touring     Sassello is home to            and craftsmen, who
                                                                      Club of Italy’s Orange       gourmet delights: its soft     worked the iron imported
                                                                      Flag, a quality mark         amaretti (macaroons)           from Elba, have lived
                                                                      for tourist facilities and   are legendary, as the          amidst the red roofs of
                                                                      environmental standards      amaretto, a sweet dessert      the houses, the simple
                                                                      of inland areas.             liqueur, and the bitters       Baroque-style church and
                                                                                                   version to be sipped           the wooden beams of the
                                                                      A noble feudal village       after meals. But it is also    farmhouses.

SASSELLO AND                                                          The centre of Sassello
                                                                      dates back to the
                                                                                                   famous for its honey,
                                                                                                   ham, cooked and raw
                                                                                                   salami and bacon pâté

ORBA VALLEYS
                                                                      seventeenth century and
                                                                      boasts frescoed palaces      flavoured with herbs and
                                                                      and Baroque churches.        spices. The extensive
                                                                      The late-Renaissance         woods provide porcini
                                                                      Church of the Concezione     mushrooms and the local
Landscapes and traditions                                             and the old Church of San    bakers make an oval flat
                                                                      Giovanni house paintings     bread with flour and
Just turning your back at the sea between Varazze and                 and sculptures by great      potatoes, known as tirotti.
the Albisolas you can find yourself in a world of woods               Genoese artists, including
and hills. Orba valley is northwards, towards Po river;               Anton Maria Maragliano.
                                                                      The Saracens’ Tower          Urbe
it offers to the tourists a natural landscape almost pure                                          The Riviera’s “Rocky
                                                                      dominates Bastia Soprana,
with woods, waters and proofs of the ancient history of               while the fifteenth-         Mountains”
its people.                                                           century village of Bastia    Urbe along the Orba:
                                                                      Sottana preserves the        this tongue twister is the
                                                                      ruins of a castle and the    name of a municipality
                                                                      Church of Sant’Antonio.      of five hamlets with 800
                                                                                                   inhabitants, scattered
                                                                      Flowers for the Lord         over a wooded area with
                                                                      In early summer the          numerous mountain
                                                                      streets of Sassello are      streams that recalls the
                                                                      decked with leafy            Rocky Mountains. This is
                                                                      branches and flower          the ancient Orba Forest,
                                                                      petals for the Corpus        once the hunting ground
                                                                      Christi celebrations.        of the Lombard kings. The
                                                                                                   clear waters of the River
                                                                      Books, paintings and         Orba and its tributaries
                                                                      nativity scenes              teem with fish, with silent
                                                                      Sassello is one of the       lakes and little rapids
                                                                      most important cultural      that are much loved by

                                                            18   19
TASTE, DISCOVER, SLEEP          B&B Della Ruscina                  Macelleria Salumeria                          Ristorante Trattoria
                                loc. Rossina 8/1, Piampaludo       Giacobbe                                      La Donda
Sassello                        Ph. 019 736947, 347 1864834        (meat, cold meats and salami)                 via Molana 27, Palo
Town Hall Ph. 019 724103        B&B Eleonora                       piazza G. Rolla 7                             Ph. 019 727165
www.comunesassello.it           via dei Perrando 19                Ph. 019 724118                                Tavola calda Levej
                                Ph. 347 2549590                    Museo Perrando                                (snack bar) piazza G. Rolla 2
Affittacamere                   www.casavacanze-sassello.com       (Museum) via Perrando 33                      Ph. 019 724057
Palazzo Garbarini               B&B La Doria                       Ph. 019 724103                                Trattoria Vittoria
(rooms) via Umberto I 21        loc. Doria 1, Ph. 335 5444138      www.comunesassello.it                         via G. Badano 7
Ph. 347 4764091                 B&B Le Radici                      Pasticceria Garibaldi                         Ph. 019 724138
palazzo_garbarini@libero.it     loc. Erro 17                       (pastries) via Savona 2
Agriturismo Ant Ra Prina        Ph. 019 2047102                    Ph. 019 7234200
via Prina, Maddalena            328 6933398                        Panificio Pasticceria                         Urbe
Ph. 349 5600926                 www.bbleradici.com                 Roberto Dabove (bakery,                       Town Hall Ph. 019 726005
Agriturismo                     B&B Relais delle Sequoie           pastries, “tirotti” flat bread)               www.comune.urbe.sv.it
di Francesco Romano             loc. Pianferioso 25                via Barberi 2
via Albergare 3                 Ph. 346 7327907                    Panificio Pasticceria Tre                     Affittacamere Trattoria
Ph. 019 724527                  B&B Villa Bergami                  Torri                                         Tonio
338 1156618, 333 3480033        Il Parco dei Cedri                 (“tirotti” flat bread, macaroons)             (rooms) via Vassuria 42
agriturismo.romano@libero.it    località Bergami 11                via Roma 8, Ph. 019 724892                    Vara Superiore, Ph. 019 733009
Agriturismo La Sorba            Ph. 019 4509179                    Pasticceria Prime Rose                        B&B La Casa Inglese
loc. Assorba 1                  320 7809492                        (pastries, macaroons)                         in Liguria
Ph. 333 3259397                 www.villabergami.eu                via Roma 36, Ph. 019 7234273                  via Ravugna 36, Vara Superiore,
cascinasorba@live.it            Bar Franco Ristorante              Pub La Cantina dei Frati                      Ph. 019 72265, 334 8530465
Agriturismo La Betulla          via Chiesa, Palo                   (breakfast and rhythm night                   www.lacasainglesebb.it
loc. Veirera, Palo              Ph. 019 727000                     beer) piazza Concezione 10                    B&B Ravera Giovanni
Ph. 340 2240876                 Bar Ristorante Alimentari          www.lacantinadeifrati.com                     via Acquabianca 1
Amaretti Giacobbe               Saraceno Sergio                    Rifugio Ressia (Alpine chalet)                Ph. 019 72500, 347 3683772
(macaroons)                     (grocer’s) loc. Prina 6            loc. Ressia 11, foresta Deiva                 Hotel Minetto
loc. Pianferioso 62             Maddalena, Ph. 019 724206          Ph. 010 8590300                               via Roma 51, Ph. 019 726085
Ph. 019 724860                  Biscottificio del                  347 4607057                                   info@cemedile.it
www.amarettigiacobbe.it         Sassello (Baratti & Milano)        www.rifugioressia.it                          Hotel Ristorante Alla Scala
Amaretti Isaia                  (macaroons), Maddalena             Rifugio Sciverna                              via Marasca 77, Ph. 019 726017
(macaroons)                     Ph. 019 724014                     (Alpine chalet, horse stage)                  Hotel Ristorante All’Alpino
via G. Badano 46/r              Campeggio Naturista                fraz. Maddalena strada 334                    via S. Ramorino 12
Ph. 019 724126                  Costalunga                         per Acqui Terme                               San Pietro, Ph. 019 726067
Amaretti Virginia               (naturistic camping) loc. Palo     Ph. 019 705511, 349 7477437                   Hotel Ristorante
(macaroons)                     Ph. 019 720004                     www.planethorse.it                            La Nuvola sul Mare
loc. Prapiccinin 6              334 3234524, 347 5291320           Ristorante Agriturismo                        via Faiallo 25, Passo del Faiallo
Ph. 019 724119                  www.costalunga.org                 Cà dei Brusco                                 Ph. 019 733101, 348 8829978
www.amarettivirginia.com        Hotel Ristorante                   (Ligurian and Piedmontese                     lanuvolasulmare@gmail.it
Amaretti Cidag                  Monte Cucco                        cooking) loc. Piano 1                         Hotel Ristorante Ravera
(macaroons)                     loc. Alberola 26                   Ph. 019 724311, 349 0964104                   via Vara Superiore 29
via G. Badano 28                Ph. 019 727048, 019 727220         Ristorante Cantina                            Ph. 019 72227
Ph. 019 7214101                 www.albergorifugiomontecucco.com   Palazzo Salsole                               Hotel Ristorante Vara
Azienda Agricola                Hotel Ristorante                   piazza Concezione 1                           via Vara Inferiore 14
Apicultura La Bottinatrice      Pian del Sole                      Ph. 019 724359                                Ph. 019 733004
(farm, honey) loc. Bonuzzo 3,   loc. Pianferioso 23                ww.palazzosalsole.it                          Locanda Ristorante
Ph. 019 724548                  Ph. 019 724255                     Ristorante Il Fungo                           Carolina
B&B A Spasso per i Boschi       www.hotel-piandelsole.com          loc. Manzin 28, Piampaludo                    via Savona 50
viale Rimembranza 11            L’Artigiana del Fungo              Ph. 019 736952                                Montà San Pietro
Ph. 019 724180                  (mushrooms)                        Ristorante Piccolo Borgo                      Ph. 019 726414
335 7069394                     via Rimembranza 12                 via T. Zunini 2                               Pizzeria La Tana della Volpe
stefi.pesce@tiscali.it          Ph. 019 720245                     Ph. 019 724580                                via Ferriera 1, San Pietro
B&B Cascina Granbego            La Sassellese (macaroons)          Ristorante Pizzeria                           Ph. 019 726163
loc. Colla 3, Maddalena         via G. Badano 44                   Pizza & Fichi                                 Ristorante Da Tonito
Ph. 019 724237, 347 7810778     Ph. 019 724140                     piazza Rolla, Ph. 019 724201                  via Roma 24, Martina Olba
www.granbego.com                www.sassellese.it                  www.pizzaefichisassello.it                    Ph. 019 726153

                                                                                                       20   21
Pontinvrea                    Pontinvrea was the            TASTE, DISCOVER, SLEEP
                                                                     Fortresses, forests           fiefdom of Genoa’s Invrea
                                                                     and gold                      family, whose legacy is       Pontinvrea
                                                                                                                                 Town Hall Ph. 019 705001
                                                                     The forests of the upper      apparent not only in its
                                                                                                                                 www.pontinvrea.com
                                                                     Erro Valley have supplied     name, but also in the
                                                                                                                                 Azienda Agricola Maria
                                                                     the wood for Savona’s         reddish Marquis’ Palace       Leoncini (farm, cheese, honey)
                                                                     shipyards for centuries.      and the Church of San         via Acqui 14, Ph. 019 705122
                                                                     Pontinvrea is one of the      Lorenzo. There is also a      B&B Alta Valle dell’Erro
                                                                     gateways to the Beigua        thirteenth-century castle,    via Cassari 1
                                                                                                   now in ruins.                 Gino Leoncini e Rosa
                                                                     Natural Park and is also
                                                                                                                                 Giovanna (honey)
                                                                     known as the “Town of
                                                                                                                                 loc. Pianbottello
                                                                     Music” because of the                                       Ph. 019 482885, 349 3576616
                                                                     piano and singing contests    Mioglia                       Go- kart Vittoria
                                                                     and the music seminars.       Far from the history          at the crossroads for Mioglia,
                                                                     Mushrooms, chestnuts,         books, close to nature        via Pian degli Agguati 1
                                                                     game are produced             Many centuries ago this       Ph. 019 705465
                                                                     locally; a special type of    village, cradled between      Hotel Ristorante
                                                                                                   the open green wooded         Aquila d’Oro
                                                                     especially tasty sausage is
                                                                                                                                 via Roma 6, Ph. 019 705267
                                                                     at the centre of an annual    hills and grey clay gorges
                                                                                                                                 Hotel Ristorante Ligure
                                                                     festival. The nearby Giovo    reminiscent of the            via Tagliata della Chiesa 43
                                                                     Pass, with a nature reserve   nearby Langhe region          Giovo, Ph. 019 705007
                                                                     where birdwatchers            of Piedmont, was called       www.ligurealbergoristorante.it
                                                                     will spot many different      Medulia. History books        La Giumenta
                                                                     species, is one of the        make little mention of        (horse shelter, sporting
                                                                                                   Mioglia, which is situated    association) via Prin 1
                                                                     traditional passes between

ERRO VALLEY
                                                                                                                                 Giovo Ligure, Ph. 347 7051527
                                                                     Liguria and the Po Valley.    far off the beaten track
                                                                                                                                 Rifugio Planet Horse
                                                                     Five nineteenth-century       and thus managed to           (excursion chalet, horse centre,
                                                                     fortresses (Forte Lodrino,    avoid the plundering          stage of Alta Via track)
                                                                     Bruciato, Tagliata, Scarato   and violence of passing       via Giovo 50
                                                                                                   armies that befell its
Forests and wind generators between                                  and Moglie) testify to its
                                                                     former importance. The        neighbours. The landscape
                                                                                                                                 Ph. 019 705511, 349 7477437
                                                                                                                                 www.planethorse.it

Liguria and Piedmont                                                 pure waters of the River      is characterized by wide
                                                                                                   horizons and gently rolling
                                                                                                                                 Ristorante Il Fiume
                                                                                                                                 via Roma 3, Ph. 019 705147
                                                                     Erro are said to contain
                                                                                                                                 www.ristorantefiume.it
                                                                     little specks of gold.        countryside and instils
Upper Erro Valley is not well known by tourists but it                                                                           Ristorante Pizzeria Pub
                                                                                                   peace in its inhabitants      La Pineta
deserves a greater renown. Here you can find meadows                 The Alta Via dei Monti        and visitors alike.           via Giovo 25, Ph. 019 705069
covered by flowers, wide woods with tasty mushrooms                  Liguri
and quiet eco-friendly wind generators, some rocky                   The beautiful path that       Galloping across              Mioglia
                                                                     runs from east to west        the uplands                   Town Hall Ph. 019 732014
points of observation just as some dry areas of Southern                                                                         www.comunemioglia.it
                                                                     along the entire watershed    The rolling uplands of
Apennines.                                                           between Liguria and the       Mioglia have neither
                                                                                                                                 Affittacamere La Volpe e la
                                                                                                                                 Luna (rooms) via Dogli 272
                                                                     Po Valley passes close to     the ruggedness of the         Ph. 328 8313722
                                                                     Pontinvrea and across         mountains nor the             www.lavolpeelaluna.com
                                                                     the Giovo Pass. The Alta      monotony of the plain.        Agriturismo Munarin
                                                                     Via dei Monti Liguri is the   The best way to explore       Caterina via Savona 30
                                                                     area’s trekking “highway”.    them is on horseback,         Ph. 019 732260
                                                                                                   along paths through           www.agriturismomunarincaterina.it
                                                                     It is linked to other
                                                                                                                                 B&B Casa di Alfredo
                                                                     mountain paths suitable       country villages, woods
                                                                                                                                 via Acqui 14, loc. Schegli
                                                                     for walkers, cyclists,        and pastures, in the          Ph. 019 7352509, 346 5209506
                                                                     and horse riders that         search for tuvi, tuff hills   www.casadialfredo.it
                                                                     go through the relieves       containing fossil shells.     Hotel Ristorante Oddera
                                                                     covered by green grass in     Horse rides can take you      piazza Gen. Rolandi 2
                                                                     summer and white snow         up to the border with         Ph. 019 732026
                                                                                                   Piedmont, amidst the          Osteria il Pirata
                                                                     in winter.
                                                                                                   woods and mountain            via Savona 2, Ph. 019 732224
                                                                                                                                 Trattoria Pizzeria La Viora
                                                                     The Marquises of              streams, where it is
                                                                                                                                 via Avera 10, loc. La Viora
                                                                     Invrea                        possible to swim.             Ph. 019 732171
                                                                     In the seventeenth century

                                                           22   23
Dego                          Giusvalla. This rural village   TASTE, DISCOVER, SLEEP
                                                                    Castles, churches…            with 450 inhabitants was        Dego
                                                                                                                                  Town Hall Ph. 019 577792
                                                                    Dego, a small town of         founded in the Middle           www.comune.dego.sv.it
                                                                    2,000 inhabitants on          Ages around a fortification     Affittacamere Trattoria
                                                                    the ancient Roman Via         built on an important           Belvedere (rooms) loc.
                                                                                                                                  Sanvarezzo 13 Santa Giulia
                                                                    Aemilia Scauri, has several   route between Piedmont          Ph. 019 57290, 347 5257844
                                                                    historical attractions:       and the hinterland of           Affittacamere Villa Maria
                                                                    the ruins of the Castello     Genoa.                          (rooms) via Supervia, 5
                                                                                                                                  Ph. 339 4627349
                                                                    Del Carretto (castle);                                        giorgio.bosio3@tin.it
                                                                    the parish churches of        Lose yourself in the            Agriturismo Cascina Palazzo
                                                                    Bormiola and Santa            woods                           loc. Bormiola 28, Ph. 019 57343
                                                                                                  Endless chestnut and            www.cascinapalazzo.it
                                                                    Giulia; Borgo Castello                                        Azienda Agricola Biologica
                                                                    (whose origins are            beech forests surround          di Mario Ferrari (organic farm,
                                                                    perhaps Roman), with its      Giusvalla, inhabited by         sausages, cheese) loc. Scorticate 1
                                                                    Art Nouveau style Villa       curious and rather bold         (road from Girini to Berri)
                                                                                                                                  Ph. 019 578088, 340 2316732
                                                                    Rossa and a memorial          roe deer. The paths             Azienda Agricola di Domenico e
                                                                    stone in memory of the        around the village reach        Pera (farm) loc. Porri
                                                                    Blessed Teresa Bracco,        some of the hills along         Ph. 019 512845, 347 7330659
                                                                                                  the ridge between the           Azienda Agricola Cascina nel
                                                                    who died in 1944 and is                                       Pozzo (meat, sausages and cheese)
                                                                    venerated in the valley.      Bormida and Erro Valleys.       loc. Pozzo 1, Ph. 347 0155526
                                                                                                  You can take the lane           Azienda Agricola La Carpeneta
                                                                                                  that leads off the Viale        (farm) via Supervia 48
                                                                    A stone’s throw from
                                                                                                                                  Ph. 019 57613
                                                                    the Langhe                    delle Robinie or the one        B&B Della Costa
                                                                    The plain formed by           branching off the main          loc. Costa Santa Giulia
                                                                    the River Bormida             road to Pontinvrea just         Ph. 019 57690, 333 6209537
                                                                                                                                  gio.ele@libero.it

BORMIDA
                                                                    and the surrounding           outside the village; both
                                                                                                                                  B&B Zia Zelinda
                                                                    hills that slope down         enter the woods and             loc. Villa di Brovida 5
                                                                    towards Piedmont are          wind their way between          Ph. 348 7076005

DI SPIGNO VALLEY
                                                                                                  the huge trees and views        Bar Red Rose (snack bar)
                                                                    covered in broad-leafed,                                      via Savona 10, Ph. 019 5778027
                                                                    conifer, chestnut and         over Mount Viso and the         Cooperativa Allevatori
                                                                    beech woods; they are         Maritime Alps. Follow the       Bestiame CAB (meat production
                                                                                                  roads by car, on foot, on       and sale) piazza Nicola Panevino 1
                                                                    ideal for excursions
                                                                                                                                  Hotel Ristorante Da Rosina
                                                                                                  horseback or by mountain
Piedmontese Liguria                                                 on foot, horseback or
                                                                    bicycle. Truffles and wild    bike.
                                                                                                                                  via La Collina 18, Porri
                                                                                                                                  Ph. 019 578008, 019 578161
                                                                    mushrooms are plentiful                                       Osteria di Facello Zaira
The Bormida di Spigno Valley is a piece of Liguria with             here. The views are           “Il Giovo in bicicletta”        via Martiri della Libertà 18
                                                                                                                                  Ph. 019 57529
a Piedmontese flavour. This may be due to its history,              unforgettable and stretch     (Giovo by bike)                 Pizzeria Ristorante Valle
marked by feudal struggles and rulers who were local                from Mount Beigua and         This is the name of seven       Verde piazza IV Novembre 2
                                                                                                  mountain bike trails that       Ph. 019 57267
(the Del Carretto Marquises), from Monferrato and then              the Riviera di Ponente to                                     Ristorante Agriturismo
                                                                    Mount Viso, the Maritime      cross the valleys, woods        Le Sorgenti loc. Nassoli 5
from Savoia family; or perhaps to the river that flows                                            and villages of seven           Ph. 019 578075, 347 7676383
                                                                    Alps, the Langhe and Alto
northwards, towards the Po... In any case, the dialects             Monferrato. Collina del       municipalities above the        www.quellesorgenti.it
                                                                                                                                  Tavola Calda Il Chiosco
spoken here have a Piedmontese sonority and the excel-              Dego is a beautiful forest    main Aurelia road: Stella,      (snack bar) loc. Colletto 6
lent local truffles “smell of sea”.                                 with paths, roads, picnic     Urbe, Sassello, Pontinvrea,     Ph. 019 577041
                                                                    areas and pure springs;       Mioglia, Giusvalla and          Tavola Calda Minibar
                                                                                                  Quiliano.                       (snack bar) via Nazionale 39
                                                                    it borders with Adelasia                                      Ph. 019 577061
                                                                    Reserve and Savona                                            Giusvalla
                                                                    Forest.                                                       Town Hall Ph. 019 707010
                                                                                                                                  turismo.provincia.savona.it/it/
                                                                                                                                  localita/giusvalla
                                                                                                                                  Agriturismo Lo Scoiattolo
                                                                    Giusvalla                                                     loc. Rapetti Ph.019 707203
                                                                    False-Acacia Avenue                                           338 6232701
                                                                                                                                  agrloscoiattolo@tiscali.it
                                                                    A row of ancient, knotty                                      B&B La Badiola loc. Cavanna 26
                                                                    and imposing false                                            Ph. 019 7073341, 347 1096014
                                                                    acacias dating back                                           www.labadioladigiusvalla.it
                                                                                                                                  Ristorante Affittacamere
                                                                    to Napoleonic times                                           Cavallo Bianco (with rooms)
                                                                    welcomes visitors to                                          piazza Anselmi 9, Ph. 019 707017
                                                                                                                                  Trattoria Miravalle
                                                                                                                                  loc. Cavanna 12, Ph. 019 7073307

                                                          24   25
Piana Crixia                  The “mushroom” is the          TASTE, DISCOVER, SLEEP
                                                                          Langhe of Piana Crixia        subject of many local
                                                                          This area borders with        legends, which range           Piana Crixia
                                                                          the Langhe region of          from the Deluge to             Town Hall Ph. 019 570021
                                                                          Piedmont. The Langhe          Napoleon, who is said to       www.comune.pianacrixia.sv.it
                                                                          di Piana Crixia Regional      have tried in vain to take
                                                                          Park protects this unusual    it back to France.             Adriano Parmigiani
                                                                          landscape of gorges with                                     (honey and beehive products)
                                                                          striking eroded clayey and                                   loc. Lodisio Costa 2
                                                                          marly rock formations.        Rocca                          Ph. 019 570328
                                                                          They are unique in            dell’Adelasia                  Agriturismo La Celestina
                                                                          Liguria and form waves of     At the centre of the           loc. Gallareto 16
                                                                          sand and clay on which        woods of Montenotte, at        Ph. 019 570292
                                                                          pioneering vegetation         the heart of a wild and        338 6635903
                                                                          attempts to float. The        almost uninhabited area,       www.agriturismolacelestina.net
                                                                          park is crossed by paths      not far from a lonely          B&B La Casa Heyoka
                                                                          that can be followed on       and charming country           loc. Lodisio Costa 2
                                                                          foot or mountain bike,        road, Rocca dell’Adelasia      Ph. 019 570328, 338 8896761
                                                                          along the gorges and          Natural Reserve is a really    lacasaheyoka@libero.it
                                                                          thick woods. The views        interesting protected area     Bertorelli Gianpiero
                                                                          are sweeping and the          of about 500 hectares.         (“formaggetta” cheese)
                                                                          spring flowers spectacular,   Inside the woods there         loc. Bertorelli 1
                                                                          there are even two            are great beeches and          Ph. 019 57939
                                                                          varieties of wild orchid.     hundred years old              Casa per Vacanze
                                                                                                        chestnuts; in damp areas       Johanna Noyon

PIANA CRIXIA
                                                                          Rare and precious             uncommon plants and            (holidays homes)
                                                                          truffles                      wild orchids; delicate and     loc. Pian del Nasso 1
                                                                          The area around Piana         wonderful settings in          (road for Lodisio)

AND THE ROCCA                                                             Crixia is home to the         the Karst caves hidden         Ph. 019 5704005
                                                                          white truffle, the most       by vegetation; streams         johanna.noyon@alice.it
                                                                          precious variety of           have real limpid water. A      Cooperativa Allevatori

DELL’ADELASIA                                                             the Langhe’s rare and
                                                                          aromatic fruits of the
                                                                          earth. It is harvested
                                                                                                        good system of trails go
                                                                                                        through the area; they are
                                                                                                        fit for hiking, cycling and
                                                                                                                                       Bestiame CAB
                                                                                                                                       (meat production and sale)
                                                                                                                                       via Chiarlone 48
                                                                          between September             horsing; they allow the        Giuliana Masio
“Piana cum castro et capella”                                             and December and              discover of little treasures   (“formaggetta” cheese)
                                                                          accompanies local             of nature and Napoleonic       loc. Cascina 6
                                                                          dishes served in the          trenches as well (proof        Ph. 019 570162
...in other words, a plain with fortifications and a chapel:
                                                                          area’s restaurants: meat      of the battles of the          Hotel Ristorante
this is how the town is described in a document dated 991.                                              young revolutionary            Villa Carla
                                                                          and vegetable ravioli,
The axes and stone tools discovered in the area indicate that             mushrooms, game and           French general fought          loc. Pontevecchio 23
the site was inhabited in Neolithic times, and subsequently               Dolcetto wine.                here during the Italian        Ph. 019 570019
by the Ligurians and Romans, who founded “Crixia”. Pia-                                                 campaign). Between             hotel.villacarla@alice.it
                                                                          The imposing Fungo            beeches and rocks the          Ristorante Antica Mansio
na Crixia, which currently has 800 inhabitants, was once
                                                                          of Piana Crixia               massif of Monte Rosa can       via Valpiana 8
part of the Marca Aleramica and was subsequently divided                                                be seen at the horizon.        Ph. 019 5704003
                                                                          The most famous
between the rule of Ligurian and Piedmontese lords.                       “personality” of the                                         Ristorante Il Castello
                                                                          Langhe di Piana Crixia is                                    del Fungo
                                                                          the “stone mushroom”:                                        loc. Borgo 1
                                                                          an ophiolite boulder                                         Ph. 019 570073
                                                                          that has protected                                           Trattoria Tripoli
                                                                          the underlying soil                                          via G. Chiarlone 2
                                                                          from erosion and is                                          Ph. 019 570028
                                                                          suspended on a thin
                                                                          layer of rock. It is 14
                                                                          metres high and weighs
                                                                          260,000 kilograms.

                                                                26   27
Cairo Montenotte              very welcoming and one        ruins of the feudal castle
                                                                        A town with thousands         of the best preserved in      and several handsome
                                                                        of years of history           the region, with coloured     churches testify its past.
                                                                        The town’s earliest           houses, arcades, bars,
                                                                        inhabitants were Neolithic    cafés and many shops          A cultural town
                                                                        farmers and hunters,          with original and elegant     Càrcare is the birthplace
                                                                        followed by the Romans,       painted signs.                of the writer Anton Giulio
                                                                        who founded Carium on                                       Barrili (1836-1908). His
                                                                        the Via Aemilia Scauri.       Infinite woods                former house is now
                                                                        Today Cairo Montenotte        Montenotte’s vast woods       the municipal library,
                                                                        is the largest town in the    are inhabited by roe          which has kept his
                                                                        Langa Savonese with           deer and wild boar and        correspondence with the
                                                                        13,000 inhabitants. The       are home to delicious         politicians and scholars of
                                                                        local dialect is closer       wild mushrooms and            his day. Goffredo Mameli
                                                                        to Piedmontese than           centuries-old trees,          composed the words of
                                                                        Ligurian. At Montenotte       such as the Faggio alle       Italy’s national anthem at
                                                                        Napoleon defeated the         Traversine beech tree, on     the Collegio Calasanzio.
                                                                        Austrians on 12 April         the main road. Hiking
                                                                        1796, during his Italian      through these woods           The Scuola dei Grigi
                                                                        campaign and the              means full immersion in a     During the late nineteenth
                                                                        remains of the trenches       natural world that can be     century Càrcare became
                                                                        can still be seen.            enjoyed from the spring       a famous holiday resort.
                                                                                                      to late autumn, along the     The period coincided with
                                                                        A medieval touch              nature trails of Sentieri     the pictorial movement
                                                                        Cairo’s history can be        Bormida Natura BN and         known as the Scuola dei

cairo                                                                   read in the remains of its
                                                                        fourteenth-century walls,
                                                                        its tower and the ruins of
                                                                                                      of Alta Via dei Monti
                                                                                                      Liguri.
                                                                                                                                    Grigi (“Grey School”),
                                                                                                                                    due to the muted tones
                                                                                                                                    of its outdoor painting.

montenotte,                                                             its castle. The Church of
                                                                        San Lorenzo is a national
                                                                                                      Horses and
                                                                                                      photographs
                                                                                                      The old village of Ferrania
                                                                                                                                    Its exponents included
                                                                                                                                    Ernesto Rayper and other
                                                                                                                                    Genoese painters.

CÀrcare
                                                                        monument, whilst the old
                                                                        residence of the Scarampi     boasts an abbey that is
                                                                        Marquises is known as         almost a thousand years
                                                                                                                                    Altare
AND Altare
                                                                        the “Caminata”. On            old and, right in the
                                                                        Saint Laurence’s Day (10      middle of an extensive        An Art Nouveau town
                                                                        August) “Medieval Cairo”      plain, the remarkable         The town of Altare is
                                                                        is celebrated in the old      Art Nouveau industrial        set amid the green
                                                                                                      architecture of the           surroundings of the
The towns of Ligurian Val Bormida                                       town.
                                                                                                      Ferrania factory, which       Colle di Cadibona,
                                                                        Murals, birds and             was famous the world          traditionally the transition
The cultural and economic centre of Spigno Val Bormida                  stone bridges                 over for its production of    point between the Alps
are three small “artistic towns” rich in history, architec-             History is also evident in    photographic material.        and the Apennines. Its
ture and handicraft.                                                    the hamlets of Carretto       The area is now ideal for     origins are medieval and
                                                                        (perhaps the original         horseback riding.             it once belonged to the
                                                                        home of the Del Carretto                                    Del Carretto family. It
                                                                        Marquises), with its ruined                                 was subsequently ruled
                                                                        castle, and Rocchetta,        Càrcare                       over by the Marquises
                                                                        with the “Roman” bridge       A Roman town                  of Monferrato, who
                                                                        built by the Alemanni         Càrcare was a Roman           introduced the craft of
                                                                        over the River Bormida        post on the Via Aemilia       glassmaking. Today it
                                                                        near the bird reserve and     Scauri. It is now a centre    is a pretty little town
                                                                        its houses with their many    of glass and pottery          with 2300 inhabitants,
                                                                        colourful murals.             production with almost        set in the lush greenery
                                                                                                      6,000 inhabitants. Its        of the Apennines and
                                                                        Underneath the                colourful, elegant old        embellished with
                                                                        arches…                       town overlooks the River      exuberant Art Nouveau
                                                                        The old town of Cairo is      Bòrmida of Pàllare. The       architecture (dating

                                                              28   29
from the early twentieth         Huge trees and cold
century), in the form            waters
of palaces, villas and           Both can be found on
industrial buildings.            the road to Màllare: the
                                 mineral water springs of
The Savona Forest                Vallechiara and the four
Altare is in the centre of       monumental trees of Li
the huge, thickly wooded         Piani – two sequoias, a
Savona Forest, which has         Nordmann fir and an
supplied the area with           Atlas cedar, each 30
wood and clean air for           metres tall and 110 years
thousands of years. This         old.
endless green expanse
is ideal for walking and
mountain biking. Beech,
durmast, Turkey oak and
chestnut trees grow in the
forest, alongside ferns,
butcher’s broom, juniper,
holly and broom. Foxes,
hares, squirrels, herons
and slow, silent flying
birds of prey can all be
seen with a little luck. The
Tecci Fortress stands on
the Colle di Cadibona and
was built to defend the
valley.

Sand, fire and glass
Sand heated in the
fire, blown and worked
into glass: this art has
earned Altare’s master
glassmakers world
renown since the fifteenth
century. In 1495 the
University of Glass was
founded in the town. It
laid down the statutes
that regulated the art.
The finest production
of Altare’s master
glassmakers is housed
in the Museo del Vetro
(Glass Museum), in the
splendid Art Nouveau
setting of Villa Rosa.
Antique pieces can be
seen in the museum, but
the master glassmakers
still practise the traditional
working in their shops,
in order to keep this
precious art alive in the
future.

                                                             30   31
TASTE, DISCOVER, SLEEP           Osteria del Vino Cattivo           Affittacamere                               Ristorante Affittacamere
                                 via A. Sanguineti 16               La Casa del Vescovo                         San Giovanni del Monte
Cairo Montenotte                 Ph. 019 500196                     (rooms) via Cornareto 7                     (with rooms)
Town Hall Ph. 019 507071         Pizzeria da Luciano                Ph. 339 7562224                             via S. Giovanni del Monte 79
www.comunecairomontenotte.it     piazza della Vittoria 54           www.lacasadelvescovo.com                    Ph. 019 5142194
                                 Rifugio Cascina Miera              Affittacamere                               www.lecameredellasoms.com
Affittacamere                    (excursion chalet, stage of        L’Oste Pinocchio                            Ristorante Il Girasole
Pensione Alpi                    Alta Via track), Adelasia park     (rooms) via Garibaldi 77                    via Rinchiuso 1
(rooms) strada Ville 19          Ferrania, Ph. 019 5221             Ph. 019 518992                              Ph. 019 511776
Ph. 019 50830                    Ristorante Al 54                   339 7562224                                 Ristorante Il Quadrifoglio
Affittacamere Villa Eugenia      via Cortemilia 54                  Antica Osteria                              via XXV Aprile 29
(rooms) via Santa Maria 21       Ph. 019 506229                     da Palmira                                  Ph. 019 517289
Ph. 340 0815987                  Ristorante Alpi                    via Castellani 40                           Ristorante La Baracca
www.eugeniabedandbreakfast.com   Osteria da Palin                   Ph. 019 510218                              loc. San Giovanni del Monte
Agriturismo Cascina del Vaj      piazza XX Settembre 6              Azienda Zootecnica                          Ph. 019 518838
strada Ville 140                 Ph. 019 504730                     Roberta Erbi (livestock)                    Ristorante Pizzeria
Ph. 019 50894, 333 8128990       Ristorante I Portici               loc. Negreppie, Vispa                       al Bracere
Apicoltura Aldo Castellano       via dei Portici 7                  Ph. 338 6955932                             via Nazionale 107, Vispa
(honey) via Medaglie d’Oro 16    Ph. 019 5090335                    B&B La Magnolia                             Ph. 019 510573
Ph. 328 1142377                  Ristorante La Bruschetta           via M. D’Azeglio 26                         Trattoria La Vispa Teresa
B&B All’ombra dei                via Martiri della Libertà 151      Ph. 338 4777270                             via Nazionale 86, Vispa
Castagni                         Ph. 019 504023                     lamagnolia.carcare@libero.it                Ph. 019 5144073
strada Sant’Anna 61              Ristorante Ore 12                  B&B La Via del Sale
Ph. 393 5311658, 347 0487114     (Self Service)                     via Castellani 97/2
www.allombradeicastagni.com      via Andrea Colla 13                Ph. 366 7318355                             Altare
B&B La Casa dei Ciliegi          Ph. 019 504032                     laviadelsale.carcare@gmail.com              Town Hall Ph. 019 58005
via Colletto 93, Rocchetta       Ristorante Pizzeria                B&B Viglizzo Maria                          www.comune.altare.sv.it
Ph. 347 0025274                  Al Bunker                          Margherita
www.bedandbreakfast-             via Martiri della Libertà 7        via Pavese 8                                Affittacamere Trattoria K2
casadeiciliegi.it                Ph. 019 503969                     Ph. 019 517020 f.demicheli@                 (with rooms) salita Arcara 19
Caffè XXL Extralarge             Ristorante Pizzeria Il Drago       virgilio.it                                 Ph. 019 584478
viale della Libertà, Ferrania    corso Marconi 150                  Cafè Agorà                                  laurapesce@alice.it
Enoteca A Cantinetta             San Giuseppe                       piazza Sandro Pertini 8                     Birrificio Artigianale
(whine shop) corso Mazzini 13    Ph. 019 504209                     Ph. 019 512080                              Charle’s
Ph. 019 503211                   Ristorante Pizzeria La Grotta      Cooperativa Allevatori                      (homemade brewery)
Enoteca Taverna                  via Dellavalle 15                  Bestiame CAB (meat                          via Matteotti 12
La Baia degli Angeli             Ph. 019 505019                     production and sale)                        Ph. 338 6029967
(whine shop)                     Ristorante Pizzeria                via Diaz 1 at OK Market                     Cristallerie di Altare
strada Colombera 2               Lupo Solitario                     Hotel Relais Villa                          di Vanessa Cavallaro
Ph. 019 504631                   via Ospedale 19                    degli Aceri                                 (artistic glass engraving)
Hotel Ristorante City            Ph. 019 502009                     largo Don Minzoni 2                         piazza Vittorio Veneto 6
via Brig. Partigiane 54          Ristorante Pizzeria                Ph. 019 517026                              Ph. 019 584112
(SP 29), Ph. 019 505182          Maruzziello                        www.relaisvilladegliaceri.it                I vetri di Sandro Bormioli
www.hotelcitycairo.it            corso Marconi 171                  La Taverna                                  di C. Bormioli (artistic glass
Hotel Ristorante                 San Giuseppe                       di Mangiafuoco                              manufacturing)
della Stazione                   Ph. 019 518030                     piazza Genta 2                              via Roma 39/41
via Indipendenza 4/8             Ristorante Sole Rosso              Ph. 019 518992                              Ph. 019 584506
San Giuseppe                     corso Dante Alighieri 114          Museo Alpino                                www.bormioliartevetro.com
Ph. 019 5144063                  Ph. 019 5079878                    (Alpine troops Museum)                      Locanda Ristorante
Hotel Ristorante La Torre e      Tavola Calda 8 Mile Rd Bar         via Garibaldi                               Quintilio
Pizzeria Porta Soprana           (snack bar)                        Ph. 019 5154100                             via Gramsci 23
corso Italia 29                  viale della Libertà 13, Ferrania   338 1317766                                 Ph. 019 58000
Ph. 019 506211                   Tavola Calda Lunico                www.comune.carcare.sv.it                    www.ristorantequintilio.it
La Taverna degli Elfi            (snack bar)                        Osteria Da Balda                            Museo dell’Arte Vetraria
strada Braia 1, loc. Le Ville    via Martiri della Libertà 167      via Garibaldi 2, Ph. 019 511483             Altarese
Ph. 019 50877                    Trattoria Il Rifugio               Osteria con cucina                          (Glass Art of Altare Museum)
Locanda Contrada                 di Gianni                          di Vanda Moreno                             at Villa Rosa
dei Fattori                      via Montenotte 2                   via Cosseria 33                             piazza Consolato 4
via Bellini 2, Ph. 019 599478    Montenotte Inferiore               Ph. 019 510457                              Ph. 019 584734
www.contradadeifattori.it        Ph. 019 59803                      Pub Il Maltese                              www.museodelvetro.org
Milk & Coffee                                                       piazza Genta, 1                             Raffaello Bormioli
(snack bar)                      Càrcare                            Pizzeria La Sirena                          (artistic glass manufacturing)
Bormida Shopping Centre          Town Hall Ph. 019 5154105          via delle Vetrerie 22                       via Paleologo 16
corso Brigate Partigiane 28/d    www.comune.carcare.sv.it           Ph. 019 511241                              Ph. 019 58254

                                                                                                      32   33
The Sanctuary                 two groups of 90-year-            120-year-old Norway
                                                                          For local people it is        old beeches near the              spruce in Trincata.
                                                                          simply “Il Santuario”,        houses in Ravè, along
                                                                          rather than the Shrine of     the main road, and a
                                                                          Our Lady of Mercy , who
                                                                          is the patron of Savona.
                                                                          The large, elegant, richly-
                                                                          decorated seventeenth         TASTE, DISCOVER,                  Museo del Santuario
                                                                                                        SLEEP                             di Savona
                                                                          century church is one
                                                                                                                                          (Shrine Museum)
                                                                          of the most important
                                                                                                        The hamlets of Savona             piazza del Santuario 6
                                                                          religious buildings of the    Azienda Agricola                  Santuario
                                                                          Riviera delle Palme, and      Biologica e Agriturismo           Ph. 019 879025
                                                                          it has been proclaimed        Tre Santi                         www.santuariosavona.eu
                                                                          “National Shrine of the       (organic farm, oil, meat, eggs)   Ostello per la gioventù
                                                                          brotherhoods of Italy”. It    loc. Ciantagalletto 7             Villa De Franceschini
                                                                          is surrounded by a pretty     Ph. 019 852623                    (youth hostel)
                                                                          little village of the same    340 6872440                       via alla Strà 29
                                                                                                        martass@libero.it                 Conca Verde
                                                                          name, on the edge of the
                                                                                                        Azienda Olivicola Canaiella       Ph. 019 263222
                                                                          huge Savona Forest. The
                                                                                                        (oil) via Canaiella, Legino       339 8309835
                                                                          Museum of the Sanctuary
                                                                                                        Ph. 019 860190                    www.ostello-de-franceschini.com
                                                                          preserves paraments,          348 7966111                       Ristorante Conca Verde
                                                                          sculptures, jewelry,          B&B Cà Pramusa                    via alla Strà 27
                                                                          textiles, paintings and ex-   via Santuario 105                 Conca Verde

THE SANCTUARY                                                             votos telling the history
                                                                          of the forms of devotion
                                                                                                        San Bernardo
                                                                                                        Ph. 019 879522
                                                                                                                                          Ph. 019 26331
                                                                                                                                          www.rpconcaverde.it
                                                                                                                                          Ristorante Da Enzo

OF SAVONA
                                                                          to the Virgin of Mercy        347 1226585
                                                                          from the XVI century.         caterinarestuccia@libero.it       via Cimavalle 19r
                                                                                                        B&B Il Cappero                    Santuario
                                                                          The peace of Santuario is
                                                                                                        via Marmorassi 52/A               Ph. 019 879063
                                                                          “broken” every year by
                                                                                                        Ph. 019 852662                    Ristorante da Michelin
The Letimbro Valley                                                       the traditional religious
                                                                                                        333 5329696                       loc. San Bartolomeo
                                                                          procession of the 18th        http://bbilcappero.weebly.com/    del Bosco 28
The province of Savona boasts the largest wooded area                     of March with hundred         B&B La Quiete                     Ph. 019 879012
                                                                          of believers and some         via Marmorassi 28                 Ristorante Madonna
in Italy, as soon becomes apparent from a trip along the
                                                                          brotherhoods of Savona        Ph. 019 810112                    del Monte
hilly roads of its chief town. They lead from the city centre
                                                                          and all Liguria; from the     347 8274826                       via Nostra Signora
up to the higher hamlets, through a landscape domina-                                                   laquiete@tele2.it                 del Monte 70
                                                                          Cathedral of Savona
ted by the colour green. A deep and primitive green, dot-                 people reach Santuario        B&B Palazzo K                     Ph. 019 822969
ted here and there with the red of the roofs of farms and                 in a three hours walk for     via S. Bartolomeo                 Ristorante Trentadue
scattered houses, the yellow of broom in flower, the deep                                               del Bosco 86/1                    via Cimavalle 61
                                                                          a mass and a visit to the
                                                                                                        Ph.328 1234084                    Santuario
blues of the nearby sea and the white of the distant Alps.                evocative crypt.
                                                                                                        www.palazzok.com                  Ph. 019 879057
                                                                                                        Campeggio Buggi                   Ristorante Villa Noli
                                                                                                        via N.S. del Monte 15             via Cimavalle 57
                                                                          Up and up,                    Ph. 019 804573                    Santuario
                                                                          towards the sky               Hotel Locanda                     Ph. 019 879154, 340 2518745
                                                                          The highest areas of          del Santuario                     www.villanoli.it
                                                                          the Savona Forest have        via Santuario 133
                                                                          illustrious inhabitants.      Santuario
                                                                          The region of Naso di         Ph. 019 879215

                                                                          Gatto alone boasts four
                                                                          monumental trees: a
                                                                          100-year-old false cork
                                                                          oak in Pian del Merlo,

                                                                34   35
QUILIANO AND                                                              Quiliano
                                                                          Hilltop hamlets and
                                                                          farming villages on
                                                                                                       Monumental Trees
                                                                                                       Quiliano boasts at least
                                                                                                       two monumental trees:
                                                                                                                                    and it has become a
                                                                                                                                    DOC wine. Buzzetto
                                                                                                                                    is a dry white wine,

THE HAMLETS                                                               the plains
                                                                          Today Quiliano’s 7,000
                                                                                                       a huge 150-year old
                                                                                                       yew in the park of Villa
                                                                                                       Maria (the former town
                                                                                                                                    ideal accompaniment
                                                                                                                                    for traditional Ligurian
                                                                                                                                    cuisine. Its name is

OF VADO LIGURE
                                                                          inhabitants are scattered
                                                                          among hilltop hamlets        hall) and the towering       perhaps derived from the
                                                                          and farming and artisan      magnolia of Roviasca,        word “buzzo”, meaning
                                                                          villages on the plain near   which is 200 years old.      unripe, due to its rather
                                                                          the coast. Here the houses                                sharp flavour. Buzzetto
Via Julia Augusta                                                         are brightly painted or      Quiliano, a wine town        was a mainstay of the
                                                                          made from ancient stone,     Quiliano is a familiar       local economy as far
Quiliano is situated on the Via Aemilia Scauri, built by the              squeezed between the         name to wine experts         back as 1200. It is a very
Romans in 109 BC and later renamed Via Julia Augusta                      caruggi (narrow lanes).      worldwide due to the         fine wine, and the Del
by the Emperor Augustus; it connected the Ligurian coast                                               town’s production of two     Carretto Marquises used
                                                                          The Savona Forest            fine rare wines, Granaccia   to allow their poorer
to the Po Valley and Provence. The remains of five stone                                               and Buzzetto. Granaccia      peasants to pay their
                                                                          The Upper Quiliano Valley
bridges built in 124 BC, two of which can still be crossed                is part of the Savona        vine is internationally      taxes in barrels of this
by foot or car, still stand on this ancient road, driving to-             Forest: 220 hectares         known by its Spanish         nectar. It has various
wards Cadibona.                                                           of thicklywooded land        name, Alicante, and is       local names: Lumassina
                                                                          that for many centuries      used to produce the          or Buzzetto in Quiliano;
                                                                          supplied the timber for      great red Riojas in Spain.   Mataosso in Noli and
                                                                          the ships of the fleet of    It was introduced to the     Varigotti; Uga Matta in
                                                                          the Maritime Republic        Quiliano Valley in the       Spotorno; and Garella in
                                                                          of Genoa. Despite its        eighteenth century by        the hills around Savona.
                                                                          proximity to the coast,      local families that traded
                                                                          this is a fascinating wild   with Spain. Granaccia is     Fertile lands,
                                                                          forest, criss-crossed with   a deep red wine, which       tasty fruit
                                                                          easy to follow tourist       acquires ruby tones          The countryside around
                                                                          trails.                      following 3-4 years of       Quiliano does not just
                                                                                                       ageing. It goes well with    produce wine, but also
                                                                                                       game and hard cheeses        excellent Valleggia

                                                                36   37
apricots.                     TASTE, DISCOVER, SLEEP           Miele Miresa Cerro                         - Rita Scarrone
It’s a Slow Food                                               (honey) via Trexenda 2                     via San Rocco 5
Presidium (quality mark)      Quiliano                         Roviasca, Ph. 019 8878025                  - Franco Torcello
                              Town Hall Ph. 019 2000501        Osteria Molini                             via Cavassuti 8, Roviasca
characterized by hardy,
                              www.comune.quiliano.sv.it        via Molini 5, towards                      Ph. 019 8878411
firm, tasty and with
                                                               Montagna, Ph. 347 1275585                  - Dionisia Turco
speckled skin fruits. This    Affittacamere Il Respiro         Rifugio Cadifugio                          via Bertone 7, Ph. 019 887153
variety of apricot tree       del Tempo (rooms)                (excursion chalet)                         - Innocenzo e Lorenzo
was developed here at         via Don Peluffo 8                via Bricco 45, Cadibona                    Turco via Bertone 7a
the beginning of the          Ph. 019 8878728, 339 6646785     www.cadifugio.com                          Ph. 019 887120
twentieth century, and        ilrespirodeltempo@libero.it      Ristorante Battiato                        Valleggia apricot producers:
it is celebrated with a       Agriturismo Lorenzo Turco        al Borgo                                   - Le Riunite
festival in Valleggia.        via Bertone 7                    via Don Peluffo 14r                        wholesale fruit and vegetables
                              Ph. 019 887120, 019 2000026      Ph. 349 2889723                            market
                              www.innocenzoturco.it            Ristorante Da Tina                         loc. Pilalunga, Ph. 019 886326
                              Azienda Agricola                 piazza Caduti Partigiani 3                 - Ortofrutticola fruit and
The hamlets of                Bonanomi Giovanni                Ph. 019 887116                             vegetables market
Vado Ligure                   (farm) via XXV Aprile 28         Ristorante Il Torchio                      via S.Pietro 2 Valleggia
The hamlets of Vado           Azienda Agricola Il Verde        e La Macina                                Ph. 019 2165059
Ligure have much in           (flowers) via Diaz 38r           via Termi 3, Valleggia                     Vini e Vini (wines)
common with those of          Valleggia, Ph. 019 885183        Ristorante La                              via Diaz 118 r, Valleggia
nearby Quiliano: the          Azienda Agricola La              Churrascaria                               Ph. 019 2100292
same coastal countryside,     Magnolia                         via Burrè 27, Cadibona
the same passion for          (typical sheep and               Ph. 019 89124                              The hamlets of Vado
                              goat’s milk cheese,              Ristorante La Farinata                     Ligure
winegrowing, the same
                              “giuncata”,“granaccino”,         da Beppe                                   Agriturismo Sotto le Stelle
hills on which olive trees                                     via Don Peluffo 2R                         via Gavotti 25
                              “ricotta”)
make way for holm oak         via Bossolo 2, Roviasca          Ph. 347 7261806                            loc. Cà du Facullo, Segno
and sweet chestnut at         Ph. 338 2651926                  Ristorante Pizzeria                        Ph. 340 9385666
higher altitudes. Bossarino   Azienda di Ivana Cortazzo        La Fenice                                  Antico frantoio (oil mill)
is a small, centuries-old     (soft fruit, strawberry, kiwi,   via Viarzo 1r, Ph. 019 8878483             di Mario Tavian Vigliola
farming village situated      honey) via Cà Nova 2             Ristorante Società                         Ponte dell’Isola, Segno
on a low ridge. It has        Val Quazzola, Ph. 019 89238      Operaia Cooperativa                        Ph. 019 888167
                              Azienda Agricola                 via Longagnini 15, Cadibona                B&B Casa Antico Borgo
typical coloured houses,
                              La Tenuta di Trecento            Ph. 019 89017                              via Tommaseo 35, Bossarino
archivolts, narrow streets
                              (farm) via Grande 11             Ristorante U Gottu                         Ph. 019 2046174
and vineyards. Behind                                          piazza della Chiesa 6R                     Centro Ippico I Tigli
                              Ph. 019 884820
the busy industrial area of   B&B Casalina                     Valleggia, Ph. 019 2100182                 (horse centre) loc. San Genesio
Vado is the Vado Valley,      via Chicchezza 7, Montagna       Rita Sparzo (wine, oil,                    Ph. 339 6897164
which offers a discreet,      Ph. 333 5221998                  “giuncata” cheese)                         Museo della Civiltà
friendly welcome to           rolandi-andrea@libero.it         via Nuova Viarzo 39                        Contadina
visitors who wish to          B&B Gli Ulivi                    Ph. 019 887228                             (Country Culture Museum)
discover its peasant soul     via Viarzo 28/2                  San Pietro in Carpignano                   Casa Celesia, Valle di Vado
                              Ph. 019 887013, 340 6851034      (archeological area and                    Ph. 019 886350
and to stop for lunch in
                              bbgliulivi@libero.it             church) info at Town Hall                  Ristorante Agriturismo
one of its restaurants. The
                              B&B I Tecci                      Ph. 019 2000511                            Cà di Gatti
road climbs even higher                                        Trattoria il Giardino                      via dei Tedeschi 2
                              via Tecci 5a, Ph. 019 8878946
towards the forest, until     333 8077017                      via Briano 6r, Valleggia                   loc. Rocche Bianche, Segno
you reach Segno and           consoli.tecci@alice.it           Ph. 019 881157                             Ph. 019 884277
the Pollupice horse trails    Centro Ippico Piano              Trattoria la Pergola                       Ristorante Il Portico
beyond the village with       dei Carpi (horse centre)         via Torcello 3, Valleggia                  via Piave 222, Valle di Vado
extensive views over the      via Nazionale Piemonte 156       Ph. 019 882541, 347 2367123                Ph. 019 885250
Riviera di Levante.           Cadibona, Ph. 347 1648410        Typical wine producers,                    Ristorante San Domenico
                              347 1649464                      e.g. “Granaccia” and                       S.O.M.S. Pace e Lavoro
                              Erboristeria e Apicoltura        “Buzzetto”:                                via Piave 182, Valle di Vado
                              Molinari (herbalist’s, honey)    - Andrea Canova                            Ristorantino Da Beppe
                              via A. Moschini 2, Valleggia     via Tecci 34, Ph. 019 887010               via E. Pertinace 4
                              Ph. 019 886851                   - Marcella Isetta                          Sant’Ermete, Ph. 019 888333
                              Massimo Becco (oil)              via Dodino 24                              Trattoria Da ü Giuan
                              via Brandini 10                  - Luca Murgia                              via Piave 226, Valle di Vado
                              Ph. 019 887467, 335 380383       Azienda Agricola Riasca                    Trattoria Il Castello
                              Miele Eliana Boagno              (farm)                                     S.M.S. Fratellanza Segnese
                              (honey) via Tecci 32             via Cavassuti 4, Roviasca                  via Grillo 1, Segno
                              Val Quazzola, Ph. 019 887501     Ph. 019 887080                             Ph. 019 888000

                                                                                                38   39
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