The origins of the Fortress of Castelfranco date back to around 1365, when the Republic of Genoa built a fort destined to constitute an instrument of control over the Finale area as an affirmation of its power against the Marquises of Savona (Deel Carretto), who had exercised their lordship over a strip of land between the coast and lower Piedmont.

The name "Castelfranco" derives from the fact that the structure was not subject to the control of the local lords and did not owe them taxes.
After various and troubled events that characterized the Marquisate, Castelfranco suffered demolitions, reconstructions and repeated occupations by Genoa, the Spanish and the imperial army.
Between 1642 and 1645 on the hill above Castelfranco, the Fort of Sant'Antonio was built to the north and that of Annunziata to the east and later, around 1680, in the highest part of the ridge, the Fort of Legnino was built.

At the end of the Spanish succession war (1701-1713) Genoa bought Finale crowning the dream of unifying its rule in the Riviera di Ponente. Castelfranco was spared from destruction and in 1745 its cannons still rejected the attack of a small English fleet. The fortress was later transformed into a prison and the nineteenth-century structures were demolished only in 1950; starting from the nineties of the last century a progressive restoration and reuse of the structure began.

Today it is a fortress rediscovered thanks to its imposing structure rich in history and suggestive and romantic foreshortenings, perfect setting for refined lunches and dinners, aperitifs, events, weddings, ceremonies and unique stays to live surrounded by a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Finale Ligure.

https://www.allafortezzafinaleligure.it/

Fortress of Castelfranco 

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Il Castel San Giovanni è una fortezza nel comune ligure di Finale Ligure, in provincia di Savona, situata ad un'altitudine di 50 m s.l.m.
Cenni storici
L'attuale Castel San Giovanni fu costruito allo scopo di rafforzare le difese dagli spagnoli dal 1640 al 1644 sui ruderi di un torrione risalente alla metà del XV secolo. Questo torrione (ricordato da Gianmario Filelfo e di cui si ha notizia da un disegno del 1571), costituisce oggi il corpo centrale, a pianta ottagonale, della fortezza.

Molto più recente del vicino Castel Gavone, ne costituiva una difesa avanzata e simultaneamente proteggeva e controllava Finalborgo, la capitale del Marchesato di Finale.

Venne spesso restaurato e ampliato nei suoi settori dagli spagnoli tra il 1674 ed il 1678, guidati dall'ingegnere Gaspare Beretta, che si occuparono del collegamento diretto con il borgo e dei rinforzi delle fortificazioni.

Fu abbandonato nel 1707 e nel 1713 ceduto dall'Austria a Genova, che lo demolì in parte.

Nel 1822 divenne un penitenziario, poi dal 1960 fu incamerato dal demanio e negli ultimi anni interamente restaurato.

Castel San Giovanni (Finale Ligure)

The exact building date of Castel Gavone (from "Castrum Govonis"), the former seat of the Del Carretto Marquisses, is still unknown. The castle rises on a huge, steep curvilinear rampart on top of the Becchignolo hill.

The castle was allegedly built by Enrico II in 1181 on remains of previous defensive structures. It was certainly fortified in 1292. Destroyed during the struggles with Genoa, it was rebuilt by Giovanni I in 1451-1452, along with the Borgo walls.

It underwent further modifications until 1715 when it was largely dismantled by the Genoese who wanted to destroy the symbol of their ancient enemy after their conquest of the Marquisate. Only some of the retaining side-walls were spared in addition to the very famous Diamond Tower (today the best-preserved structure). The Tower, which has a curved triangular base, was built using diamond-faceted squared stones. It faces south with its acute edge resembling the bow of a ship. It is an excellent example of late medieval military architecture. Many of the original materials such as beams, stones and columns, were later used to build churches, gates and houses.

http://turismo.comunefinaleligure.it

Castel Gavone


It is from the renowned fortified citadel, a ‘castle on the rock, on stone’, pietra in Italian, at the heart of its downtown, that Pietra Ligure takes its name.

At the mouth of the Maremola River, Pietra Ligure is located some thirty kilometers west of Savona. From the coast, Pietra extends uphill to the green of handsome, residential Ranzi.

Traces of an early settlement in this area date back to the Neolithic, but it is in the Roman era, a season of war and trade, when a fortified castrum rose, that Pietra Ligure assumed a strategic relevance, involved in the construction of the Via Aurelia to Provence. Also, roads between key Ligurian centers Albenga and Vado passed through Pietra’s territories, which determined a strong impulse to the development of the economy.

In the Lombard age a medieval citadel rose around the castrum, caught between the Trabocchetto hill and the Maremola river, but Pietra’s downtown Borgo Vecchio, a five parallel streets structure intersected by narrow alleys, rose in feudal times, when Pietra was disputed between the marquis Del Carretto and the bishop of Albenga, who finally secured possession of the city.

A renowned sea bathing resort and a popular destination of vacationers, once famous for its shipyards, today a clinical care center of excellence at a regional level, thanks to the presence of health institute Ospedale Santa Corona, Pietra was once visited by poet in exile Ugo Foscolo, who so described it, February 1799: ‘I go to Pietra to seek consolation in the rays of the sun and drink of those lively airs’.

Pietra Ligure offers visitors a splendid seaside, the interesting natural environment of its interior, a number of culture and sports events and the excellent hospitality of its over 40 hotels, 20 something extended stay complexes and a couple of camping sites to accommodate up to 6,000 guests.

Pietra has forty beach clubs, two of which offer pet services. Pietra’s beach is large and easy to access, and is replenished annually.

Sports facilities and natural resources concur to offer a variety of outdoor activities, including soccer, tennis, pétanque, scuba diving and beach volley. Hiking and mountain biking enable an exploration of Pietra’s interior and the scenic hamlet of Ranzi. Food and wine tours are also a possibility, immersed in the vegetation of a Mediterranean landscape.

Innumerable events are created thanks to the collaboration of Pietra’s City Council with the many associations who are active in the city. Opened November 2006, Pietra’s city theater has a rich winter calendar of events, including children’s programs ‘Teatro dei Ragazzi’ and traditional cultural series from local Savona theaters ‘La Riviera dei Teatri’.

Opportunities for cycling enthusiasts are also offered all year through, with the amateur bike tour traditionally staging in February and splendid Gran Fondo cycling race in September.

And Pietra’s annual triathlon is scheduled early in Spring every year.

Rich summer programs include children’s events ‘Bim Bin Gio Co, la Città Parla Bambino’, in June and September; firework shows on July 8, to honor miracle maker Saint Nicholas on the ‘Festa del Miracolo di San Nicolò’, and on August 15, Assumption Day ‘Ferragosto’.

Pietra celebrates popular culture at annual events ‘U Confögu’, on the last Sunday before Christmas Day, or the burning of a laurel log as an augural practice from  the time of Genoa’s highest Republican rulers ‘Dogi’, and floral art in Ranzi for Corpus Domini, late in Spring.

Finally, on the third weekend of September, gourmet festival ‘Dolcissima Pietra’ features exhibitions, presentations, competitions, meetings, seminars and workshops with tastings and a presentation of novelties in haute patisserie from various regions of Italy.

http://www.comunepietraligure.it

Castello di Pietra Ligure

The Castello di Monte Ursino is situated in a dominant position on a hill from which it takes its name, in defense of the historic center of Noli, in the province of Savona.Around the tenth century many towns that rose on the coast moved on the hills, less unhealthy and more easily defensible. So did Noli which was destroyed by fire around 900, it was rebuilt on the hill of Monte Ursino, overlooking the sea, and already in 1004 is mentioned in a document called a fortified village. After the construction of the first tower on the top of the hill, the fort was enlarged and strengthen it repeatedly until it reached its present form around the fifteenth century, even embracing the infant village in the plain, current center, and was gradually abandoned in the hill. Proponents of this medieval military structure were especially the Del Carretto, feudal lords of Noli. The castle was able to control both the sea and the coast through the old Roman road on a hill in the village of Voze, and used until the eighteenth century.

http://www.castlesworldwide.net


Castello di Monte Ursino

Il castello dei Del Carretto è stato un edificio difensivo situato in posizione dominante sul centro storico di Millesimo, nell'alta val Bormida, in provincia di Savona.
Eretto nel Medioevo dalla famiglia Del Carretto, la parte più antica, come la torre, il maschio e la parete est sono databile alla seconda metà del XIII secolo.

Costituente un'importante postazione di difesa e controllo della valle - assieme ai manieri di Cosseria, Roccavignale e Cengio - si presenta a pianta quadrangolare con due torri laterali e mura fortificate. Il castello millesimese viene citato da Gianmario Filelfo quale sede della riunione dei diversi e numerosi rami della famiglia Del Carretto, tenutasi nel 1447 per decidere la strategia da intraprendere contro la Repubblica di Genova, che minacciava di muovere guerra al Marchesato di Finale. Nella guerra che poco dopo seguì tra il piccolo marchesato e Genova (1447-1448) la fortezza di Millesimo accolse Bannina, la moglie di Galeotto I Del Carretto, signore di Finale.

Trasformato in residenza fortificata, fu smantellato nel 1553 dal commissario imperiale Gerolamo Sacco di Ceva su ordine del governatore di Milano Ferrante I Gonzaga, quest'ultima in lotta con la Francia e che condizionò la scelta distruttiva per la paura di una possibile e probabile caduta del castello ai francesi. Devastato e parzialmente inutilizzabile, il castello cadde in abbandono e la stessa famiglia carrettesca trasferì la sua sede presso l'odierno palazzo municipale di Millesimo. Ulteriori danni alla struttura furono arrecati nelle prime battaglie napoleoniche del 1796 tra gli eserciti francesi e austro-piemontesi.

Il castello, acquistato dall'amministrazione comunale nel 1989, è stato recentemente ristrutturato ed è visitabile. Ospita concerti di musica classica e mostre.