Savona - the Riviera delle Palme and its small towns
Finale Ligure
One and three-fold, a town of rocks and
sea and with a glorious history and the jewel of sea and
mountain tourism in Liguria.
Centuries ago, Finale separated the Sabazi Ligurians from the
Ingauni Ligurians, located as it was on the boundary with the
Roman Municipality of Vada Sabatia.
The town of Finale Ligure is really made up
of three villages: Final Pia, the first one meets on arriving from Varigotti,
is a seaside borgo nestled around the Benedectine abbey of Santa Maria
Pia. The houses of Pia have kept their 16th century architectural features.
Above Final Pia there here are a number of fifth-to-seventh century villas
with cultivated grounds; in the past the area was home to avant-garde
forms of agriculture, with greenhouses, exotic species and citrus fruits;
today superior vines are grown in the area.
For
as well as enjoying the sea and long walks, Finale Ligure is the ideal
place to fill your glass with fine white wine and savor a delicious dinner
in an intimate seafront restaurant.
Final Marina is also set right on the sea: a Genoese outpost in
1365, it became Spanish in the 1600s; its promenade, shaded by
lush green vegetation, is one of the most beautiful anywhere in
Liguria.
The other part of Finale Ligure, Final Borgo,
once known as Burgus Finarii, was founded in the late 1100s by
the marquises of Del Carretto. It was capital of the Marquisate from the
mid 1400s until the early 18th century; walls, palazzos and churches of
Final Borgo date back to this time, making it one of the best-kept historic
centers in the area around Savona. Exactly which of these historic buildings
with their elegant black stone portals give the "Borgo" its
noble aspect? Take for example the porta Reale, with the late gothic octagonal
bell tower of San Biagio which stands huddled against the town walls;
or the convent of Santa Caterina (1359) with its late 15th century cloister,
now home to the Museum of Finale Ligure and many prestigious cultural
events. Then there are Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza del Tribunale with
the 15th century building and the Porta Testa at the other end of the
borgo. Somewhere in between the narrow streets are brought to life by
craftsman's workshop selling wares made of Finale Stone, ceramic,
glasses, wood and iron.
Higher up, beyond the Porta Mezzalama, stands the Castle of St.
Giovanni, a mishmash of Medievale and Spanish architecture which
looks stunning when lit up at night.
The Strada Berretta, open in 1666 to link Finale
Ligure to the territories around Milan, once began here. A fifteen minute
walk along the ancient track takes you to the ruins of Castel Govone,
a military and residential building whose Lombard-style architecture reflects
the ties between the Del carretto and the Sforza families.
Above Final Borgo, it's well worth making a journey
up to Perti to take a look at its two churches: Sant'Eusebio, formerly
Spanish in style but now very much of the Baroque, with its attractive
wall-belfry and the late 15th century Nostra Signora di Loreto with its
five bell towers, built in the Lombard Renaissance style on the lines
of the Porticari chapel in Sant'Eustorgio in Milan.
