Caves of Toirano, Bardineto and Zuccarello

Departure at around 8:30 towards the Liguria hinterland of Loano and Albenga. Driving along the Varatela river we reach Toirano, a small medieval town with a very beautiful tower church from the 14th century. Yet, Toirano’s main attraction are its caves: deep grottoes consisting of large caves and narrow gangways where waters have carved impressive works of art, for example the Bàsura Grottoes (witches grottoes) and the Santa Lucia Grottoes. Driving through the beautiful valleys of the hinterland we reach Bardineto, where the church of San Nicolò houses frescoes from the 15th century, and later the medieval village Zuccarello. This settlement is surrounded by high walls overlooking the Neva river on one side and, on the other side, perched on the rocky mountain where are the ruins of the fortress of the Del Carretto Marquisato. The Marquises ruled for many centuries in this area leaving beautiful countryside villas and city palaces. The town has two city gates, a northern and a southern one. The main street features scores of houses with lower arcades hosting shops and craft shops. Today traditional handicraft combines with modern business, showing how local people keep up with times without forgetting their own history. Later we head to Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena, a tiny nice village dominated by the imposing fortress of the Clavesana Marquises. The village alone is well worth of a visit with its medieval maze of narrow lanes and gangways where most of the inhabitants still live. In the evening we drive back to the hotel.

Full-day – Duration Approx. 10 hours

Including

• 1 Full Day Escorted tour