From the "Portassa" to Piazza San Martino

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 closed again. This slow, steady rhythm shaped the daily life and habits of the villagers for centuries. A tradition that continued until the 18th century.Continue a little further and you will come to Piazzetta Don Giacomo Roba, which you can recognise on your right by the three-arched portico of the loggia of the Oratorio dei Disciplinanti, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and Saint Sebastian the Martyr.The only medieval tower that has survived to the present day, with its Gothic style and Ghibelline battlements, stands above the building.Some details offer a glimpse into village life in the past: for example, the iron bar along the side wall of the church, once used in the 17th century to measure cloth and ropes during markets. Above it, you will notice a painted sundial dating to 1834. As we continue, we now approach the church square of San Martino Church, with its series of medieval arcades and slate and local stone benches.The church itself was built at the end of the 16th century. Its simple façade was enriched in 1894 with a fresco by Gerolamo Graffigna, depicting the Saint on horseback, engaged in the charitable act of cutting his cloak to cover the poor.In contrast to its modest exterior, the interior reveals a rich Baroque style, with a three-nave layout and fully frescoed ceilings supported by stone columns topped with Corinthian capitals. Step inside to discover its many treasures: intricate inlays, a series of altars dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, the marble pulpit from 1755, and the 16th-century polyptych depicting Our Lady of the Rosary.