Pietra Ligure and surrounding area offer fans on vacation a variety of opportunities for recreation, relaxation and fitness.

Best touristic opportunities:

Grotte Borgio verezzi - www.grottediborgio.it
Grotte di Toirano - www.toiranogrotte.it
Parco Le Caravelle - www.lecaravelle.com
Montecarlo - www.monaco-tourisme.com
Acquario Genova -www.acquario.ge.it
Portofino - www.comune.portofino.genova.it
Cinque Terre - www.cinqueterre.it
Balene (Whale watch) - www.whalewatch.it
Casinò Sanremo - www.casinosanremo.it
Casinò Montecarlo - www.casinomontecarlo.com

Sports:

Biking, Trekking, Climbing - www.rockstore.it
Bike - MTB 24 h Finale - www.24hfinale.com
Golf Garlenda - www.garlendagolf.it
La Filanda Golf Club Albisola - www.filanda.org
Spot Surf, Windsurf & Kite - www.maresport.net
Diving Finale Ligure - www.cycnus.net
Diving Spotorno - www.nereosub.com

Pietra Ligure.

Situated on the Riviera to the west of Capo Caprazoppa, it was a Byzantine stronghold with the name of Castrum Petrae, perched like an eagle’s aerie in a picturesque setting on a wild and isolated limestone crag (“la Pietra”) to the east of the present town. In the twelfth century the castrum passed to the bishop of Albenga, who had it rebuilt, and in 1385 it was sold to Genoa by Pope Urban VII. Recently the fortress has been consolidated and its rooms used to house exhibitions of porcelain, prints and antique furniture. It also contains an extensive library with a bar and restaurant. The oldest of the monuments documenting Pietra Ligure’s history is the oratory of the Bianchi, dating from the tenth century and now used as an auditorium, located on the characteristic Piazza Vecchia or Piazza del Mercato. It used to be the parish church, dedicated to the town’s patron saint, Nicholas, and was restructured in the baroque era. The interior is divided into a nave and two aisles with columns made of local stone. It now houses oil measures from the republic of Genoa and the remains of a medieval well that used to be located in the square in front. The campanile still has the sacred bell that, according to tradition, was rung by the hand of St. Nicholas to announce the end of the outbreak of plague in 1525. The present parish church of San Nicolò dates from the second half of the eighteenth century: the interior, roofed by a fine, frescoed vault, is a huge rectangular space surrounded by chapels of different sizes. It contains a collection of pictures and a wooden choir from the sixteenth century, which used to be in Marseilles Cathedral. In addition to being a popular summer vacation resort, Pietra Ligure is famous for its shipyard and hospital facilities, which include the complex of Santa Corona, a renowned rehabilitation center.

Borgio Verezzi.

The town is made up of the two distinct settlements of Borgio, on the coast, and Verezzi, in a marvelous panoramic position on the hill. Formerly possessions of the bishop of Albenga, they came under the rule of the Del Carretto of Finale for brief periods and were ceded to the republic of Genoa by Pope Urban VI in 1385. Borgio’s main attraction is the cave of Valdemino, an underground complex that is open to visitors, drawn by its delicate calcareous concretions and fascinating series of small lakes. The shrine of the Madonna del Buon Consiglio is also located at Borgio: dating from the twelfth-thirteenth century, it was once a church dedicated to St. Stephen and St. Peter and still houses fragments of frescoes from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Other attractive features include the fine Gothic campanile with a spire, the seventeenth-century portico and, not far off, the lookout tower known as the Torrione, built in 1564. At Verezzi a number of the medieval houses have a structure that reveals the influence of Saracen architecture. The enchanting Piazza di Sant’Agostino, overlooking the sea, is used in the summer to stage an open-air theater festival of international standing, culminating in the award of the “Premio Veretium” to the best actor. The event draws some of the most prestigious touring companies.

Finale Ligure.

The main center of the Finale region, it comprises the townships of Finale Marina and Final Pia (which together constitute one of the best-known health resorts on the Riviera delle Palme) and the nucleus of Finalborgo, the ancient “Burgus Finarii,” set further inland. Behind the latter stands Castel Gavone with the celebrated Torre dei Diamanti, the principal stronghold of the marchesi Del Carretto. The area, which comes under the protection of a regional nature park, is rich in caves once inhabited by prehistoric human beings.
Interesting finds from this period can be seen in the Museo Civico of Finale, located in the former Dominican monastery of Santa Caterina, dating from the fourteenth century but renovated during the Renaissance. Known as “Ad Fines” in the Roman era, it marked the border between the territories of the Ligures Ingauni and the Ligures Sabazi. Relics from this time include the bridges built in the Val Ponci during the Imperial era along the Via Julia Augusta leading to Gaul. From 1193 onward Finale Ligure was a possession of the marchesi Del Carretto and a thorn in the side of the republic of Genoa, interrupting its trade and territorial continuity in western Liguria. The tension gave rise to various disputes that led to open war in 1447-48. Finalborgo, residence of the Del Carretto, was razed to the ground. However, the marquisate remained under the control of the ancient house until 1598, when it passed to Spain, only to be ceded to the republic of Genoa in 1713. Although split into several centers, civil life in the Finale region has developed in a unified fashion since the early Middle Ages, as testified by the surviving architecture. In fact there are examples of constructions from the pre-Romanesque and Romanesque period (the renovated Capuchin church at Finale Marina, the churches of Sant’Eusebio and Sant'Antonino at Perti) and the Gothic (thirteenth-century campanile of the church of Nostra Signora di Pia) and late Gothic periods (the two gates defended by round towers in the walls of Finalborgo). The beautiful octagonal campanile with two rows of two-light windows of the basilica of San Biagio dates from the fifteenth century. Another building of great interest at Perti is the chapel of Santa Maria di Loreto. There are also Renaissance palaces (Loggia di Raimondo e Ricci, now the town hall, at Finalborgo; Palazzo Buraggi and Palazzo Malvasia at Finale Marina). The triumphal arch of Margarita of Spain at Finale Marina and the Palazzo Arnaldo and Palazzo Cavassola at Finalborgo date from the seventeenth century. Finale is now a summer and winter resort popular with both Italians and foreigners, endowed with excellent hotel and leisure facilities.
To the east of Finale is located the village of Varigotti, whose historic center is characterized by houses of the Mediterranean type in pastel colors separated by narrow “Carruggi” or alleys that lead directly to the beach of the beautiful “Bay of the Saracens.” On the promontory of Punta Crena stand the remains of the ancient castle built by the Del Carretto, destroyed in 1341 by the Genoese, who also filled up the harbor. The church of San Lorenzo Vecchio, an early medieval abbey that was taken over by the Benedictine monks of Lérins in the thirteenth century, is located on the hillside opposite the entrance to Varigotti, immersed in the Mediterranean maquis.

Toirano.

The area of karsts in Val Varatella, included in its territory, contains over fifty caves that even open in the sheer walls of the small side valleys and in the spectacular Salto del Lupo. All the archeological finds made in these caves are on show in the Museo Preistorico della Val Varatella. The locality was inhabited in the Roman era and during the Middle Ages belonged to the bishops of Albenga, under whom it obtained its own statutes. Disputed between the Genoese and the marchesi di Finale, it was assigned to Genoa by Pope Urban VI in 1395. The characteristic town still has a number of structures from this period, including several large towers, part of the ancient walls and a bridge with three arches. The parish churches of San Martino and the Rosario date from the seventeenth century. The shrine of Santa Lucia, above the cave of the same name, has a spring that is believed to have miraculous powers for the restoration of sight and attracts many pilgrims. The church of San Pietro dei Monti, which once belonged to the ancient and powerful Benedictine abbey, stands on a panoramic rocky hill offering a view of the whole town. A link with the farming community of the past is provided by the Museo Etnografico della Val Varatella, housed in what used to be the stables of the palace of the marchesi del Carretto, formerly the Palazzo dell’Aste. The institution was set up in 1982, when a collection of implements and objects connected with the growing of olives and the production of oil began to be assembled. The museum now boasts collections of various kinds, relating to the agriculture, crafts and daily life of the Val Varatella, with a total of a thousand objects on show, dating from between the beginning of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the twentieth.