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

GRATUITO

GRATUITO

GRATUITO

GRATUITO

- WiFi

- Accesso alla spiaggia

- Terrazza con vista sulla città

info@camerealcastello.it

Convertito in hotel e ristorante