MAIN ATTRACTIONS IN SAVONA AND SURROUNDINGS
Savona
Fortezza del Priamar
The Priamar Fortress is among the most imposing fortified constructions in the Mediterranean region. Erected by the Republic of Genoa between 1542 and 1544, the Fortress aimed to defend and protect the area from possible attacks by the Savoy and maintain Genoese control over the city, which had been conquered in 1528. Over the centuries, the whole compound was largely extended and remodeled, at one point also being used as a jail, where famous Italian patriot Giuseppe Mazzini was held, from November 1830 to January 1831. The prison cell is now open to visitors. Some years ago, the Municipality of Savona finally undertook the works for the restoration of the entire Priamar compound, transforming it into an important cultural venue and tourist destination in the Liguria region.
http://musa.savona.it/priamar/
https://www.museoarcheosavona.it/la-fortezza/
Cappella Sistina
Closely connected to its more famous namesake in Rome, the Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel) in Savona is one of the city’s most prestigious buildings. The two chapels - the Roman one and the Savona one - were both built by instruction of Pope Sixtus IV, who was born in Savona (1471-1484). Pope Sixtus IV built this chapel as a funeral chapel for his parents in the very same Franciscan convent where his father had secured a place for the family tomb. In 1762-64, Francesco Maria, the last descendant in the Della Rovere family, decided to restore the Chapel and convert it from a renaissance funeral chapel into a lavish baroque church.
https://cattedralesavona.it/cappella-sistina-di-savona/
Museo della ceramica - Palazzo Gavotti, Piazza Chabrol 1-2
An innovative set up for a fascinating journey through epochs and styles, from the Renaissance to contemporary design. More than a thousand works show the deep connection between crafts and Savona and its surroundings. The exhibition sprawls across four floors in the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà, located in the heart of Savona. This museum provides adequate accommodation to public and private collections. The outstandingly beautiful and elegant works on display are evidence of an uninterrupted tradition spanning more than six centuries in Savona and Albisola - two of the most ancient and important ceramic production centers in the Mediterranean area, as evidenced by the local museums, churches, city monuments, urban design, as well as the many and still operating craftsmen.
http://musa.savona.it/museodellaceramica/
Old town center
The old city, made up of a labyrinth of narrow and winding streets with small squares and noble buildings, is gathered near the port and the ancient fortress (Priamar). The historic center, however small, is full of interesting attractions to visit; among the most important we mention:
- La torretta
- La torre del brandale
- Via Paleocapa and its art nouveau buildings
- Via Pia
- Vecchia Darsena
- Piazza Mameli, where everything, stops for a minute at 6 pm every day to recollection and remember the fallen of all wars.
For other curiosities about Savona and to know what else to see please refer to: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savona
Albisola
Passeggiata degli artisti
This incredible work of urban art was inaugurated on August 10, 1963: almost a kilometer of floor mosaics designed by twenty national and international artists to color the town's seaside promenade. The event represented the culmination of a cultural season which, since the 1930s with Futurism, saw Albissola Marina become a privileged destination for artists, writers, collectors and gallery owners from all over the world.
http://www.museodiffusoalbisola.it/index.php/sedi/lungomare-degli-artisti
Casa Museo Jorn and Casa Museo Mazzotti
In the 1930s, with the arrival of the Futurist movement in the city, art exploded in Albisola and from the 1950s it became a vibrant arts and cultural center. Today Albisola boasts the presence of galleries and ateliers, witnesses of an intense artistic-cultural activity. In particular, Casa Museo Jorn and Casa Museo Mazzotti.
Casa Museo Jorn offers the most incredible and astonishing experience of a natural and architectural environment created by the free imagination of one of the most important artists of the twentieth century: Asger Jorn (Denmark, Vejrum 1914-Aarhus 1973).
http://www.museodiffusoalbisola.it/index.php/sedi/casa-museo-jorn
Commissioned by Tullio Mazzotti and his family as the headquarters of their ceramic artisan business, Casa Mazzotti was designed by the futurist architect Nicolaj Diulgheroff starting in 1930 (the construction was completed in 1934). Casa Mazzotti is the only example of a futurist house that has survived intact until today. From its construction until today, Casa Mazzotti has housed the Ceramiche Mazzotti factory and the documentary archive of Tullio d'Albisola.
https://www.tulliodalbisola.it/it/casamazzotti.html
http://www.fondazione.gmazzotti1903.it/giardino-museo.html
Fornace Alba Docilia
This furnace is an extraordinary historical museum of ceramic art and technology. It is an authentic ceramic factory, perfectly preserved within the ancient village of Albissola Marina. Inside you can visit several original rooms, where you can find the ancient wood-burning ovens and the settling tanks for clay and glazes. The museum houses a selection of contemporary ceramic works of art from the civic collection, and a permanent exhibition of traditional Albisola ceramic nativity scenes (macaques). The factory began its activity at the beginning of the 1600s with the Conrado family. In 1919 the factory resumed its ancient Roman name Alba Docilia and, thanks to the artistic direction of the painter Mario Gambetta, established itself again on the national market with a modern production. The factory closed definitively in 1982, after almost four hundred years of activity. The Museum offers free and guided visits, amd thematic insights into ancient Ligurian traditions: from popular legends to the Albissola dialect, up to the inevitable study of the workings and decorations of Albissola ceramics.
http://www.museodiffusoalbisola.it/index.php/sedi/fornace-alba-docilia
Celle
Celle Ligure is a small jewel of the Western Ligurian Riviera which has joined the Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy: overlooking the sea, with colorful houses lined up along the coast, sandy beaches and the characteristic caruggi on which overlook buildings of great artistic value. Celle preserves in its territory art, architecture, history, green areas and panoramic walks along the many paths that cross its hilly districts.
Noli
Located on the coast of the Riviera di Ponente, Noli is a typical seaside village whose historic center is a chest full of treasures which, enclosed in the medieval walls, tell of its past as a strong and proud Fifth Maritime Republic, which has always been an ally of nearby Genoa. Today it shows its tourists the beautiful towers, the castle that overlooks the city, the cathedral and all the palaces and monuments of great historical and artistic value.
https://www.e-borghi.com/it/borgo/Savona/171/noli
Finale
Final borgo
Finalborgo, reviewed as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, is a medieval village in Western Liguria, rich in history and places to visit. In the small Ligurian village, there are several historical sites of extraordinary beauty, among which we find Castel San Giovanni, the Collegiate Church of San Biagio, the Monumental Complex of Santa Caterina, Porta Reale and Porta Head.
https://www.aspassoconqueidue.com/finalborgo/
Finale Ligure outdoor
Finale Ligure is now famous throughout the world as the "Outdoor Capital", being the starting and finishing point for a thousand adventures on foot, by bike or on the wall. Please have a look to the following websites for additional information:
http://www.outdoorfinaleligure.com/pagina-di-esempio/
https://www.finaleoutdoor.com/it
Area marina protetta dell’isola di Bergeggi
Inside the park, the small beach of Punta Crena is particularly suggestive.
https://www.ampisolabergeggi.it/
Avvistamento cetacei
Chemical-physical characteristics induced by the morphology and by the circulation of the water make the stretch of sea between Sardinia, Tuscany, Liguria, Monaco and France one of the richest areas in the Mediterranean for life. Since the 1980s, many research institutes and environmental associations have begun to convince states to create the first international protected area in the Mediterranean for the protection of the marine environment. Discover the best of the marine fauna that characterizes this protected area with motorboat excursion, departing from Savona.