The valleys of the hinterland Neva, Pennavaire, Arroscia, Lerrone

Val Neva

Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena

Ligurian medieval village remained intact in its original appearance. The glance is very suggestive: the village perched on the slopes of the hill, on the top of which stands the castle of the Clavesana family , still today the visual reference point and the fulcrum around which the entire inhabited.
It is pleasant to get lost in the narrow streets and tunnels of the historic center, where you can admire examples of typical houses / fortresses and the characteristic stone arches that support the houses one against the other, a peculiar architectural element of the Ligurian villages. The Rocca Barbena , with its 1090 m., Dominates the surrounding landscape, characterized by dense woods interspersed, at lower altitudes, with olive groves. The other route of the Ligurian mountains, the main regional excursion route, passes by the Rocca with its stage number 12, while the path of Ilaria del Carretto is an easy and pleasant route which, from the parish of Castelvecchio, reaches the near the village of Zucarello.

Cisano

Former fortified village , today represented by a tower next to the Parish of Santa Maria Maddalena , transformed into a civic tower, while the remains of the ancient walls are still partially visible. The hamlet of Conscente is characterized by the elegant profile of the ancient castle, one of the best preserved in the area, dating back to the 15th century and once belonged to the Marquis Rolandi Ricci del Carretto.
the climate and the natural environment favor the cultivation of extra virgin olive oil, typical local wines (Pigato in primis), and dairy products, all specialties that can be tasted on site at the manufacturing companies in the area or at the numerous farmhouses and restaurants. The Municipality is included within the Environmental System of Poggio Grande , a naturalistic area with valuable flora and fauna; once used as a transhumance route for livestock, it leads in about an hour and a half to the top of Pizzo Ceresa , which dominates the whole district from its 710m high, guaranteeing splendid views over the entire plain and the sea.

Zuccarello

Fortified village still intact in its original architectural structure, with a porticoed street that crosses it for its entirety, a legacy of the commercial nature of the village. In the Middle Ages there were numerous shops that stood under the arcades, replaced today by bars, restaurants and shops. A splendid humpback bridge crosses the course of the Neva and leads to the Porta del Ponte , one of the original accesses of the village together with Porta Soprana and Porta Sottana : it is one of the best preserved medieval bridges in the whole region and is one of of the symbols of Zuccarello. On the lower floor of the oratory of Santa Maria Nascente there is a real hidden jewel: one of the smallest theaters in Italy. The castle, which pre-existed the foundation of Zuccarello, stands in a dominant position on the top of the hill overlooking the village. From the castle passes the path that, in an hour's walk, leads to the nearby village of Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena, a breathtaking itinerary both for the unattainable beauty of the landscape and for the numerous reasons of historical interest that the two villages have in common.

Val Pennavaire

Castelbianco

It is the union of different villages, united by a homogeneous architectural structure. Oresine is the most "intimate" village on the slopes of Mount Lapeau, where the protagonists are the chestnut woods. From Oresine it only takes a few steps to get to Colletta , the village that made Castelbianco famous in Italy and beyond; what was a fraction now abandoned and in ruins for decades, has been the subject of an admirable architectural recovery which, respecting the original architectural structures and materials, has given the village its unique appearance, but projecting it into the future. Today Castelbianco is half of a varied tourism and many choose to follow one of the seven marked municipal paths that join the different villages and allow you to enjoy spectacular views immersed in truly uncontaminated nature. An increasing number of climbing enthusiasts choose Castelbianco as a starting point to tackle the numerous equipped walls that are found in the Valley. Typical products are cherries, in the native variety "Cantui Giancai and Cantui Negrai". The cultivation of olives and aromatic plants is also very widespread.

Nasino

The beauty of this valley, with its dense woods, limpid streams and calcareous reliefs almost in the Dolomites, is the backdrop to this small rural village, which offers various ideas for a visit. Nasino offers a castle, of which two towers and some frescoes remain, and the parish church of San Giovanni Battista, which, despite a rather sober facade, houses valuable frescoes and several baroque altars. The Sanctuary of the Nativity of the Virgin, in the locality of Madonna di Curagna, impresses with its octagonal plan and the other dome, which make it one of the most unique buildings of worship in the area. From Nasino passes the Sentiero delle Terre Alte, one of the most important Ligurian hiking routes, with its stages 4 and 5, Ponterotto / Nasino and Nasino / Erli; a good opportunity for sportsmen and trekkink lovers to actively discover this wonderful area, dotted with dense woods and olive groves.

Arroscia Valley

Ortovero

One of the four offices of the Regional Enoteca of Liguria is located in Ortovero , where you can taste and buy local wines (the whites Pigato and Vermentino and the reds Rossese and Ormeasco) and also the other wines produced in other areas of Liguria, both from east and west. Other fruits that this fortunate territory offers are peaches and fruit and vegetables , extra virgin olive oil and the magnificent flowers and plants grown outdoors and in greenhouses. The main village of Strà reveals its most original and suggestive character in the oldest part of the town, the one that rises right next to the Arroscia course, where you can fully breathe the atmosphere of the typical Ligurian villages characterized by narrow streets and houses leaning against each other.

Going up the valley, after only two kilometers, you reach Pogli , the most important hamlet of Ortovero, a fortified village founded by the city of Albenga in 1288 for defensive purposes, as an outpost blocking the entrance to the Arroscia Valley. Two towers are still clearly recognizable, while little remains of the ancient walls. Pogli gave birth in 1900 to Frate Ave Maria , Hermit of Divine Providence who was blinded by an accident as a boy, recognized by the church as Venerable. His birthplace is visible in Pogli, in the center of the village. During Holy Week, important rituals are concentrated that have entered the religious and folkloristic tradition of Ortovero, such as the blessing and distribution of bread on Holy Thursday and the Balzo Procession on Friday morning, followed in the evening by the procession with the dead Christ and the characteristic crucifixes. artistic. As already mentioned, Ortovero stands on particular sandy and clayey soils, rich in fossils dating back to the Pliocene, which take the name of Argille di Ortovero, and which can be admired above all in Rio Marassano, just beyond the Pozzo hamlet: from trails and paths, suitable for both trekking and mountain biking, it also sees the presence of a marsh turtle endemic to the area.

Val Lerrone

Villanova d'Albenga

The town, built on a polygonal plan, is still largely surrounded by the ancient walls with the presence of ten towers and two access doors. At the center of the village there is the medieval well , which became the symbol of Villanova and until the 1930s the only dispenser of drinking water for the inhabitants, with the chains and buckets of the period.
The "Clemente Panero" International Airport is located in the municipal area of Villanova d'Albenga, now identified as Albenga and Savona airport.

Garlenda

It is a small town of about 1,300 inhabitants, which has been able to balance the respect for agricultural tradition, the use of historical resources such as the Castello della Meridiana , with the important golf settlement with 18 holes and landscape resources such as the ancient ones. trails.
Garlenda enjoys a lively summer season full of historical, gastronomic and sporting events; the great International Meeting of the Fiat 500 , held on the first weekend of July, is well known