Finale Ligure, Province of SAVONA<BR><BR>
Finale Marina, Finale Pia and Finalborgo are the main districts
of the municipality of Finale Ligure. They now form an almost
unbroken conglomerate that stretches along the coast between
Caprazoppa promontory and the mouth of the Sciusa river and towards
the final stretch of the Pora Valley.<BR>
The Romans called the border area between the Sabatian and Ingauni
tribes of Liguria "Ad Fines"; in mediaeval times it
was the place of residence of the noble Del Carretto family and
was for centuries the greatest obstacle to total control of the
Western Riviera by the Republic of Genoa.<BR>
In prehistoric times the territory of Finale was for a long time
inhabited: evidence found in the numerous grottoes and now held
in the Finale Public Museum, testifies to the continuity of human
settlement from the middle Palaeolithic era. The grottoes of
Arene Candide, Fate, Rocca di Perti, Rio, and above all the grotto
of Pollera (or Pian Marino), one of the largest, are very famous.<BR>
The Finale area is also well known for the "Pietra di Finale",
the chalk cliff faces that rise as high as 80 metres, which are
a great favourite with the region's climbing enthusiasts: these
immense climbing practice areas (600 routes along equipped faces
for a total of 50 linear kilometres) are ideally situated. They
are also close to the sea (with a relatively mild winter climate)
and to the main road networks.<BR>
Finalborgo was the capital of the Del Carretto aristocratic domain.
The residence of the marquises, Castel Gavone, was built in 1191
but all that remains are the outside walls and the Torre del
Diamante. By contrast, the thirteenth-century town walls are
intact. The basilica of San Biagio is a mediaeval building that
was reconstructed in 1637: its interior preserves works from
the late Renaissance and Baroque periods. The first parish church
of the area (fourth century) was built in Finale Marina and parts
of it can still be seen in the church of the Capuchins. The basilica
of San Giovanni Battista has an impressive interior and is one
of the most important monuments from the Ligurian Baroque period.
Many grandiose buildings and aristocratic residences can be seen
in Finalborgo and Finale Marina.<BR>
Varigotti, on the rocky coast in the direction of Noli, is a
very old coastal town. Its port was filled in by the Genoese
in 1341. The church of San Lorenzo il Vecchio was built in the
twelfth century as a Benedictine abbey on the site of an earlier
building. |
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