Valbormida
Valbormida stretches from the Ligurian Apennines inland from Savona and extends to lower Piedmont bordering Monferrato and Langhe. Because of its fortifications from medieval times (castles of Cosseria, Dego, Millesimo, Bardineto, Roccavignale) and its particular geographic position between the Savona coastal strip and lower Piedmont, it has always been of strategic importance for the control of the territory, still witnessed today by the paths and routes, still passable, that from the coast reached the hinterland to allow the exploitation of the woods rich in timber, used for construction and shipyards. It was the scene and beginning of Napoleon’s Italian Campaign, (1794-1796), which precisely in Valbormida with the battles of Cosseria. Montenotte, Dego and Millesimo, began his conquest of Northern Italy, being part until 1815 of the Napoleonic Empire, successively of the Kingdom of Sardinia. With the unification of Italy in 1860 it passed to the Province of Genoa, and then in 1927. Each village encloses corners of remarkable beauty and, through its buildings, churches, frescoes, and works of art, tells of its past and preserves the memory of the people who lived there. The origins of these villages are lost in time: it was the Romans who left the first architectural evidence, passing through to connect northern Italy to Rome.
As the centuries went by, other dominations followed, the most important and long-lived being surely that of the Del Carretto marquises, who dominated the entire territory, part of lower Piedmont and part of the Finalese, having numerous castles and fortifications erected, some of which are still well preserved today. The 18th century saw the area invaded by Napoleon’s French; the battles and bloody events of the clashes from that period are still recalled today.
The historical settlement heritage includes about 30 major Historic Centers, mostly of medieval foundations or even Roman layout as in the case of the Historic Center of Cairo Montenotte. On average, each municipality has three or four minor historic cores for a total of about 70 rural settlements that still preserve the building and construction traditions typical of rural villages. Savona Province.
In its territory over the years crafts of considerable interest have developed such as glassmaking in Altare where you can visit the Glass Museum and craftsmen make unique pieces. In the town of Millesimo one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy” you can visit the Napoleonic Museum and Castle, the Gavetta Bridge, the Town Hall, the Romanesque Church of Santa Maria Extra Muros, and the Porticoes. This heritage of urban forms of remarkable landscape value is complemented by a constellation of ancient architectures of great cultural and artistic interest grouped in the three main types of specialized civil buildings (ironworks, furnaces, sawmills, mills, etc.) with about 120 major emergencies; religious buildings (churches, chapels, convents, oratories, etc. ) with about 200 emergencies surveyed; and finally of the military with about 40 castles of medieval foundation and as many forts, redoubts and barracks of nineteenth-century layout, located, the latter, along the main route of the Tyrrhenian watershed with maximum concentrations near the Giovo, Cadibona and Melogno passes.
Another important attraction is the gastronomy, the result of the encounter between Piedmontese and Ligurian cuisine, which is characterized by a variety of dishes with authentic and unique flavors, such as the products of the undergrowth such as mushrooms, chestnuts and truffles of remarkable and appreciated quality. But the area holds surprises not only for those who love nature, outdoor sports or good food: history, ancient villages, traditions, and culture make it an ideal destination for those seeking alternative and innovative tourism.