LIGURIA: HISTORIC VILLAGES

GENOA - FINALBORGO - ZUCCARELLO - ALBENGA - TAGGIA - TRIORA - BORDIGHERA - DOLCEACQUA - APRICALE

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1° DAY: GENOA
Arrival to Genoa. Free time. Late afternoon meeting with our assistant who will explain the tour. Overnight at PALAZZO GRILLO**** or similar

2° DAY: GENOA – FINALBORGO – ZUCCARELLO – ALBENGA
Breakfast. Departure to FINALBORGO and visit of the hamlet .

About Finalborgo: “Closed between still well preserved medieval walls, interspersed with semi-circular towers and interrupted only in correspondence of the doors, the village of Finale (so called to distinguish it from the Marina) immediately offers the visitor a sense of protection and recollection. The ancient conception of defence and community survives in the crosslinked streets, arranged perpendicularly to each other to form fascinating views in contained spaces. Go through narrow lanes, each square is a conquest and a surprise, able to exhibit wonders in the "Finale stone" slate adorning doorways, modelling itself into columns, diamonds, ornaments. The historic center of Finalborgo for several centuries the capital of the Marquisate and administrative center of Finale, stands in a strategic position on the alluvial plain at the confluence of the rivers Pora and Aquila. Lunch in Finalborgo. Afternoon departure to Zuccarello and visit of the village. The tour will start with the old castle dating from XII century, the oldest archaeological remains of this little “borgo”. Zuccarello was a fortified village where it is still possible to discover a great variety of historic styles (from XV till XIX century) from the old door of the houses. The visit will continue to San Bartolomeo Church, St. Antonio Chapel, Santa Maria Nascente Church and Madonna della Neve, Quinzio Delfino Theatre and Marchionale Residence. At the end departure to Albenga and overnight



3° DAYS: ALBENGA – TAGGIA – TRIORA – BORDIGHERA
Breakfast. Departure to TAGGIA. Our visit will star from the very well preserved medieval center and it will continue discovering these wonderful historic buildings: Curlo  and Asdente Carrega Palaces (1473), Pastorelli Marquis and Vivaldi Palaces, Reghezza Palace with its Santi Sebastiano and Fabiano Church (with its unmistakable orange marble façade) and from here we can reach Beato Cristoforo Square where the Padri Domenicani Convent was erected. Departure to TRIORA. Arrival and lunch in restaurant. Afternoon dedicated to the visit of the famous hamlet of witches. Triora is one of the most beautiful medieval village of Italy, well preserved and very famous for his history. Departure to Bordighera and overnight

About Triora: “Walking through the alleys of the village in the province of Imperia, it is clear that the place has something mysterious. In the maze of narrow streets, passing under a bow and another among the slate houses, a magical, macabre, charm amidst the atmosphere of the Witchland, Salem Italiana, Triora. Famous for its bread and for the terrible court case of witches in the second half of the 1500s, Triora almost seems to boast that charm. Many details in the village, between the sacred and the profane, tell ancient stories of faith and paganism. Decorations of oxen, stone heads, characters wrapped in mystery, announcements, sacred motives, but also black cats and broom on doorways. ... and places to avoid after sunset. It almost seems that in Triora the witches have always been and maybe are still there.

4° DAY: BORDIGHERA – DOLCEACQUA – APRICALE – BORDIGHERA
Breakfast. Departure to DOLCEACQUA. Dolceacqua is one of the medieval villages of the Nervia valley and it is placed along the river of the same name. Its oldest part, dominated over by the Doria's castle, is called Terra and it is situated at the foot of Mount Rebuffao. The newest part of the village, called Borgo, is situated on the opposite bank of the river along the road that climbs up the valley. The Doria castle underwent many transformations during the centuries and even nowadays the quarter maintains intact its medieval atmosphere and offers many picturesque spots, where time seems to have stopped. Since then the story of Dolceacqua is linked to the events of its castle and to the Signory of the Dorias. In the second half of the XVth century the inhabited place grew along via Castello, the main urban road axis, and a new quarter called Borgo was built beyond the Nervia river; the two cores of the town were connected by an elegant cambered bridge with only one arc-span, of 33 metres. The bridge, that Claude Monet had painted in 1884 (defining it "a jewel of lightness"), together with the cluster of houses of Terra and the overwhelming castle, is one of the most picturesque and famous views of the Ligurian inland. Lunch in restaurant. In the afternoon departure to APRICALE and visit of the hamlet. The typically medieval village of Apricale occupies an impressive spot, literally cascading down the rock just above the Merdanzo Valley. Apricale is well known for its art and theatre festivals, held each summer on the village main square. The village has a number of small shops and restaurants, inviting you to sample the local cuisine. Departure to BORDIGHERA and overnight



5° DAY: BORDIGHERA
Breakfast. Visit of the town. Bordighera is a town in the Province of Imperia. The city was founded around the 4th century BC by the Ligures. Historically it has been a favourite winter resort, especially for visitors and retirees from England, and is renowned for its beautiful coast scenery. Its flowers and palms have been well known, with the flowers having been exported and the palms used on Palm Sunday at St. Peter`s Basilica in Rome and other churches. A museum contains a unique collection of the flora of the Riviera.