Campo Ligure

This is the heart of the village. Around the square are the parish church, the frescoed loggia and Palazzo Spinola, with its painted façade: built in the first half of the 14th century and extended in 1693, it is privately owned, so you can only admire it from outside. It is also where the main events are held, from the Filigree Exhibition to concerts.

This is the stop that gives the visit its meaning. It grew out of the donation by Pietro Carlo Bosio and his wife, who spent years collecting pieces in markets and shops across Europe, and it is housed in via della Giustizia, in the former Palazzo di Giustizia (courthouse). Sources do not agree on the exact number of objects, but there are several hundred, from four continents and arranged by area: Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. On the top floor a multimedia exhibit explains the four stages of the work: casting, wire drawing, twisting and finishing.

At the last check (22 October 2026) the museum’s website gave the autumn hours as Friday 16:00–18:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:30–12:00 and 16:00–18:00. Groups and guided visits are booked on 010 920099 or 351 980 7931. The site also mentions a guided visit on Saturday and Sunday at 11:40, covering part of the museum and the climb up the castle tower. The ticket price is not published: phone or write to museodellafiligrana@gmail.com. Hours change with the seasons: check the museum’s website (in Italian).

The workshops are along the lanes leading up to the castle. Some work in view of the public, others open by appointment: this is where you can see how a piece of jewellery is made and, if you like, buy it directly from the craftsman. The tradition began in 1884, when the master Antonio Oliveri opened the first workshop, and soon grew to 33 workshops. Today there is also a training centre, FiligranArt, with courses for adults and children (ask directly for prices and calendars). In the feature on filigree you will find how to recognise a handmade piece.

The castle stands on a hill above the old town. It has medieval origins: the walls perhaps date from the 13th century, the tower is more recent. It was the valley’s sentinel for the Spinola family, was re-fortified in the early 14th century, abandoned in the 18th century and later restored; it has belonged to the municipality since 1986. Today it hosts concerts and exhibitions in the courtyard, and can be visited with guides from the Cooperativa Dafne.

Since April 2026 the castle has housed TraMe, a multimedia, interactive museum of five rooms on medieval Liguria, the great Genoese families and the role of castles. The content is in Italian and English, with subtitles and videos in Italian Sign Language. In spring the castle opened on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 to 12:00 and from 15:30 to 18:00; the museum’s website, with the autumn hours, gives the afternoon as 16:00 to 18:00. You can also climb the tower. Book through the museum, which combines visits to the museum, the castle and TraMe.

At the foot of the castle is the Giardino del Tugnin, the final stop of the guided village tours run by the Cooperativa Dafne. Opening hours and access outside the guided tours are not confirmed. The best place to understand how the village is laid out is the castle anyway: you see the bell tower of the parish church, the red roofs, the bed of the Stura and the hills that close the valley.

This is the medieval four-arch bridge across the Stura: the last reconstruction dates from 1841, after floods and collapses that rewrote it several times over the centuries. It is often called Roman, but it is not. It takes its name from the former church of San Michele, mentioned as early as 1241 and rebuilt between 1939 and 1941 after the flood of 1935.

The parish church, in the square, was rebuilt between 1758 and 1762 in Baroque style. Inside it holds an altarpiece by Bernardo Strozzi. Opening hours are not published, so it depends on the moment: if it is closed, you can still see the bell tower and façade from the square.

At the entrance to the village for those arriving from Genoa, the oratory was built in 1647 in Baroque style. It holds the Martyrdom of St Sebastian from the school of Domenico Piola. At Christmas it hosts the village’s mechanical nativity scene: about 90 square metres, hundreds of figures and dozens of movements telling the life of the valley in the early 20th century. The historical hours were every day until 6 January and on Saturday and Sunday in January; the calendar for the coming winter is not yet confirmed.

First mentioned in 1585, it was damaged by the fire of 1600 and rebuilt in the mid-18th century. Inside are a wooden statue of the Assumption by Ursino de Mari and a crucifix of the Neapolitan school.