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How to get there: Exit at Finale Ligure (Highway A10 Ge/Ventimiglia) after the Via Aurelia go towards the Col of Melogno and follow the signs to the Borgo; you can also exit at Orco-Feglino.
Finalborgo which is a part of the Finale Marina community has an impressing history because it was subject to the vicissitudes of the Del Carretto family that was a highly esteemed Marquis of the Savona area. Before the year 1000 B.C. some local Ligurian tribes were able to join the villages near the prehistoric Caverna of the Pollera and the Arene Candide. The passing of the Romans marked a period of peace in the “pagan” areas that with the event of Christianity they assumed even a role of religious aggregation. This is how the first churches were built such as at the mouth of the Pora Valley the “Plebes Finarii.” Bonifacio del Vasto was an important name in the history of Savona, he was a descendent of Aleramo and he became the “owner” of Finale. When he died his son Enrico I, known as the “Guercio” succeeded his father in 1142. Therefore, Borgum Finarii had a role as Capital of the Marquisate of the Del Carretto family that lasted until 1568 because Sforza Andrea Del Carretto gave all the feudal rights to Philip II, the King of Spain.
It was a Spanish domain and the entire area of Finale went through a great economic development and it became the seat of the Governorship. It had great military defense systems and the Spanish restored the local monuments fantastically. Today, it appears to tourists as a precious place adorned with magical buildings. The Basilica of St. Giorgio was rebuilt in 1659 on the ruins of a 1300 ancient church and the Basilica is splendid example of Baroque art. Inside you can admire marble treasures such as the pulpit and the balustrade by Francesco Schiaffino that are adjacent to the polyptych and triptych that are of great prestige.
Very magnificent is the bell tower and there has always been disagreements on its origins. The Cloisters of St. Caterina have been modified throughout the centuries but its artistic value is greatly highlighted. The first defensive outpost of the Gavone Castle was fortified on the Turris Bechignolii in 1390, it was the San Giovanni Castle that followed the defeats of the Marquis of Finale. It was widened in the 17th century and today it is reliving moments of magic thanks to an adequate cultural restoration. The Gavone Castle is one of the greatest examples of a Medieval defensive structure as well as a noble home. What can be seen today gives us the sensation of a powerful military tradition that from Perti gives us a breathtaking view with outstanding colors from dawn till sunset.
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