Toirano – Old Town Tour

Leaving the built-up area of Toirano, along the provincial road to Bardineto, you arrive in the hamlet of Carpe. Carpe is a settlement that arose in medieval times near the Church of St Bernard, which was the community's landmark for centuries. Politically, Carpe's history has weathered more than a few storms. It was originally a fief of the Marquises Del Carretto of Balestrino, then an imperial f...

We now invite you to visit a unique place of worship: the rock sanctuary of Santa Lucia, or Grotta di Santa Lucia Superiore, carved into a large cave on the slopes of Monte S. Pietro. The Sanctuary was officially recognised by Pope Leo X in 1519, but we know that it had already been the destination of pilgrims and wayfarers for centuries. Indeed, faithful visitors would come here to collect blesse...

Five people and a large 40kg dog explore the Toirano cave complex: two adults and three children, one of whom is about three years old. Walking in single file, they leave behind hundreds of footprints, hand prints, and knee prints.  14,400 years later, their traces provide us with one of the most important records of the history of Homo sapiens in Europe. The prints are concentrated in the Bàsura...

One resource more than any other has contributed to the prosperity of communities around the world for centuries: fresh water. In Toirano, the strenuous agricultural work traditionally carried out by its inhabitants was supported by the Varatella river and its tributary, the Barescione.  Over the centuries, the Barescione enabled the development of the district that bears its name, which dates bac...

The history of Toirano is closely connected to the religious orders that settled here from the early Middle Ages. The first were the Benedictine monks, who founded the Abbey on Monte San Pietro in the 9th century. In the 13th century, however, they were removed by the Bishop of Albenga, who transferred their belongings and properties to the Carthusian order. This stop on the tour invites you to ex...

We continue along Via Braida towards the district of the same name, which developed between the 14th and 15th centuries Halfway up the slope, on the right, we can find the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. As early as 1481, Dominican friars settled in Braida, where they established the Vicariate of Our Lady of Grace and built the church. In the 17th century, it took on the appearance that it still...

Just before the Oratory you can see a porticoed 'caruggio’ or narrow road. From here you enter the Toracco district, the oldest part of the village! The Torracchi were single-family homes with a tall, fortified structure, also designed for defensive purposes. Indeed, throughout the district you can still see the massive stone foundations of these defensive buildings, often constructed in a spontan...

Leaving the square of the Church of San Martino, head towards Via Parodi, the main street of the village. Together with Via Maineri, it will lead you to some of Toirano’s oldest historic buildings, many of which feature slate details, a dark stone typical of western Liguria. At the entrance to the street, on your left, you’ll find Casa Durante, recognisable by its square stone façade, dating back...

The main entrance gate to the village, known as la Portassa once stood where the stone column from Finale Ligure is located now. Every morning, the Gate would open around 7 a.m. From here, carts coming from the fields and the coast would enter the village, often carrying produce from gardens and crops, sacks of olives, and various goods. In the evening, after the Ave Maria bells rang, it would be...

Western Liguria has always been a passageway between Europe, Italy and the port of Genoa. Welcome to Toirano, one of the earliest inhabited villages in the area! With this audio guide, we will guide you on a tour divided into 10 stops, allowing you to explore the village and its history, as well as the famous Toirano Caves, where, during the Palaeolithic era, an entire family and their prehistoric...