finalborgo

Finale Ligure is a special offer!

In fact... there is one village but there are three old towns the so called "borghi"!

Finalmarina, with its wonderful beach, one of the longest in the entire Liguria, Finalpia spread out along the river Sciusa, in-between olive groves and Mediterranean vegetation; Finalborgo far away from the sea and surrounded by the ancient city walls, gives the impression of almost being situated in the mountains... Exactly all of this makes Finale Ligure so fascinating! The idea of being at the sea and in the mountains at the same time, gives the visitor the possibility to choose between such a wide range of activities: swimming in the crystal clear water, walking along footpaths, discovering the countryside, climbing on steep cliffs, cycling through villages full of history, paragliding, exploring caves with stalactite and stalagmite constellations, relaxing on the beach and much more...

The things that are possible today have evolved a lot over the years. They are the result of long geological processes and the settlement of the first humans about 300 000 years ago, first searching shelter and refuge in the caves and successively taking possession of the whole area. With the affirmation of the dynasty of the marquis Carretto Finale turned into an economical and strategical stronghold and leads to the expansion of the existing settlement between the rivers Pora and Aquila: Finalborgo was born, capital of the marquis' territory, dominated from the heights of the castle Gavone, residence of the marquis, and the only stronghold in the whole of Liguria not to abide to the republic of Genoa. This independence was badly tolerated by the Genovese and lead to repeated military conflicts with grave damages to the marquis' territory. Only 1452, with the begin-ning of the reign of Giovanni I of Carretto, a long period of peace and prosperity initiated. In 1600 the stronghold Finale was conquered by Spain and remaines subsequently dominated for the next century. During this period castle Gavone was partly renovated, castle San Giovanni was built and castle Franco was enlarged. During this historic moment the village centre of Finalpia expanded, with the splendid basilica of San Giovanni Battista and the buildings of the historic centre. With the end of the Spanish domination Finale lost its strategic importance and fishing and agriculture have become the main source of income for the population up to the present time where tourism started to be developed in this area. Much more could be said but... simply look around... and let the imagination run free: ladies and knights, horses and carriages, archers and swords... are visible before your eyes and leave you lost in daydreams.

Daniela Limonta