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 fief. In 1735 it passed to the Kingdom of Sardinia, then went through the Napoleonic phase between the Ligurian Republic and the French Empire, before returning to the Kingdom of Sardinia. It later became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 as an autonomous municipality, only in 1905 being incorporated as a hamlet of Toirano.Carpe also bears the marks of the Second World War. On 6 February 1945, German soldiers carried out a roundup that caused great fear throughout the village.In those tense hours, the inhabitants entrusted themselves to prayer, turning to Our Lady. Thanks in part to the intervention of the local teacher Agnese Garassini, the community was ultimately spared. That day has remained etched in local memory, and every year on 6 February it is commemorated with a Mass and a procession.From Carpe, looking eastwards towards the sea, Monte San Pietro, with its ancient abbey, is clearly visible. On 1 May, the Mount is visited by many inhabitants of Toirano, who go there for the traditional feast of San Pietro ai Monti.If you are in the mood for trekking, you can reach the summit via two routes: the historical path that starting from the hamlet of Dari, or the dirt road beginning at Giogo di Toirano. Both afford you an incredible panorama stretching across the Ligurian coast—and on clear days, all the way to Corsica.

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 blessed water from the well, which was believed to have healing properties. Santa Lucia Superiore appears today much as it did in the 16th century. You still enter via a wide staircase, preceded by a small suspended square shaded by two cypress trees. The church itself is set within the cave and was enhanced with architectural elements from the 17th and 18th centuries. In the first section, you will find the hermit’s house with its Baroque bell tower. The hermit was an ascetic who lived here in solitude, serving both as a spiritual guide and as guardian of the sanctuary. The raised altar is protected by a 17th-century grille. On it, you can see a marble statue of Saint Lucy by sculptor Taddeo Carlone, an artist of the Genoese school.Just below the altar, where the paved floor ends, two passages begin. They lead to the entrance of the cave and to the well, whose waters are long believed to have miraculous healing properties. Like the underground cave of Santa Lucia Inferiore, this sanctuary also served as a refuge during the bombings of the Second World War.  In that tragic period, two children were born here, named Lucio and Lucia.

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 Cave (from the Ligurian word for “witch”), one of the two caves open to visitors within the Toirano complex, which in total includes four caves. The discovery of the cave and traces of the prehistoric family dates back to the 1950s.The dog's tracks are a treasure within a treasure: they are the oldest evidence of dog domestication as a pet, dating back to the Palaeolithic period!In the deepest chamber of the same cave, you can also find remains of great palaeontological interest: a large accumulation of cave bear bones, dating from between 50,000 and 28,000 years ago.  This environment was clearly favoured by animals as a place for their long winter hibernation.An artificial tunnel connects the Bàsura Cave to the Santa Lucia Inferiore Cave, which is also open to visitors. The tunnel allows you to follow a one-way route of about 1km. Inside the Santa Lucia Cave, nature takes centre stage: the walls are covered with limestone formations that resemble white coral, sparkling with delicate aragonite crystals, while the largest stalactite along the route forms an impressive column eight metres high.But this cave also served as a shelter for the families of Toirano during the bombings of World War II: families took refuge in its deepest chamber, known as the Tanone, which today hosts educational workshops and summer concerts.To discover more secrets, why not visit the nearby Val Varatella Prehistoric Museum?

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 back to as early as the 16th century near the cultivated fields and is today centred around Via Cavour. Olive groves, vineyards, orchards, vegetable gardens, and small citrus plots alternated with houses built of stone and lime, leaning against one another and arranged vertically. The preserved appearance of the Barescione district still offers a valuable glimpse into the ancient rural life of western Liguria.  The district is still characterised by its picturesque narrow street, or caruggiu, lined with portals finished in slate, brick, and stone arches, and paved with cobblestones from the 18th and 19th centuries. The street opens into the unique little square of S. Rocco, once the heart of the district. On summer evenings, locals would gather here, sitting on stone benches and slabs along the walls.  In the background you can see the Oratory of Saints Peter and Rocco, built in the early 17th century, with its simple design, painted effigies of the saints on the facade, and small bell gable. The frescoed sundial, which once served as the only public clock in the village, makes the square particularly picturesque. Continuing along the caruggio, or narrow street, you arrive at the covered portico of Ruggia, where the district’s fountain is located. Here, you can hear the sound of the water flowing into the rectangular basin.  Ever since the 16th century, this has been a place where people and animals returning from the fields would rest before heading to the cellars and stables for a well-deserved rest.

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 explore the remains of the ancient Charterhouse.We reach it via Via Alessandro Provaggi, which branches off Via Braida just after the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary. Continuing on, we come to Via Certosa, which leads to the characteristic area of the Mulini or - in dialect - Murìn, where the monks' workshops once stood. Later they became paper factories, then they were turned first into oil mills and finally, back into flour mills.Enjoy the walk which guides us across the 18th-century bridge over the Varatella stream, next to the old public washhouse. Stopping on the bridge for a while, you can take in the pleasant view of the buildings constructed by the Carthusian monks.The path continues along the scenic paved mule track, which leads to the monumental ruins of the Carthusian church of San Pietro in Vincoli, with its bell tower erected in 1564. The entire complex was designed as an enclosed monastery and was built starting in 1495.  It included the church, cloister, monks’ quarters, and the Prior’s residence. Today, the site is no longer open to visitors and has been incorporated into a residential area. To understand its fate, we must go back to 1798, when the Ligurian Republic was established.The new government ordered the suppression and closure of the monastery, confiscating its assets. The buildings of the Charterhouse were eventually demolished in 1810, a fate shared by many religious structures across the region.

We continue along Via Braida towards the district of the same name, which developed between the 14th and 15th centuriesHalfway 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 retains today.The interior is simple and austere, yet it houses two important works of art: the processional statue of Our Lady of the Rosary by the Genoese sculptor Anton Maria Maragliano, and a painting of the Virgin of Graces by the well-known Genoese painter Orazio De Ferrari, dating to the decade from 1640 on.  As you can see, the history of the Braida district is ancient, but its darkest page was written centuries after its foundation, during the Second World War.On 12 August 1944, Toirano was hit by an Anglo-American air raid, which caused the death of 44 civilians and the destruction of much of the district.To commemorate this tragic event, the municipality erected a memorial in 1969. Today, you can visit this monument dedicated to the victims of all wars, and in particular to the 44 who lost their lives in the Toirano bombing, at the nearby Rosciano Park, located behind the Town Hall. The project was entrusted to the Tuscan sculptor Agenore Fabbri, a well-known artist in the Albisola and Savona area, who powerfully conveyed in bronze the anguish and suffering experienced by the people of Toirano at that tragic moment.   As well as honouring those difficult events, today the Park is a gathering place for the community—a space where children and families come together to play and spend time outdoors.

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 spontaneous, irregular way.The street leads to the Giaire Gate, dating back to the 13th century, which faces the imposing bridge over the Varatella river. This bridge was once an essential passageway to the most fertile part of the valley, where vineyards, vegetable gardens, and hemp fields were cultivated.Via Torracco then becomes Via Baccio Emanuele Maineri. It is named after a Toirano writer and patriot born in this street. Some of his personal items are on display in the Ethnographic Museum in Palazzo D'Aste.After exploring the Toracco district, you can return to Via Parodi to reach either Piazza della Libertà or Piazza San Martino.

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 to the 13th–14th century. But one of the most representative buildings along the caruggio, or narrow road, is the loggia of the Paraggiu, the former residence of the Bishops of Albenga. It is supported by massive columns, featuring carved heraldic coats of arms on its capitals. Just beyond, a porticoed passage leads to the Renaissance entrance of the palace, enriched by a slate lintel dated 1503, bearing the effigy of Saint Michael, the patron saint of the diocese. Via Parodi then opens onto Piazza Libertà, where you can admire the grand façade of the former D’Aste palace. One wing of the building houses the Val Varatella Ethnographic Museum, with its entrance on Via Polla. If you are curious to find out more about Toirano’s past, the museum offers a collection of tools, clothing, and objects that vividly reconstruct village life over the centuries.Continuing along Via Parodi from Piazza Libertà, you will soon encounter the Baroque Oratorio del Transito di San Giuseppe, the Oratory of the Transit of Saint Joseph, topped by an elegant slate dome.

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. 

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 dog left lasting footprints. But first, a brief introduction!The village is located in a strategic position at the centre of the valley where the Varatella and Barescione streams meet, just 3 km from the sea.  The ancient via del Sale, or Salt Road, once passed through here, making it a crossroads for the communities of the Riviera and the lower Piedmont area. Toirano likely originated as a Byzantine fortification. What we do know for certain is that by the 9th century it was part of the Benedictine monastery of San Pietro in Varatella. The first written records of the “Municipality of Toirano”—that is, as an autonomous political entity—date back to the 13th and 14th centuries.It was during those centuries, and precisely in 1315, that the Benedictines were removed from the abbey and replaced by Carthusian monks, at the request of the bishop of Albenga. At the end of the 15th century, these monks built the Carthusian monastery in the valley floor - one of the stops on our tour.As you stroll through the village, you will notice that Toirano still preserves the layout of a medieval settlement, once enclosed by walls. At that time, five gates provided access to the village. Today only three remain, including the well-preserved “Porta delle Giaire,” which faces the three-arched bridge of the same name over the Varatella river.During your walk, you will also come across typical medieval buildings—spontaneous, irregular constructions in stone and lime—especially in the ancient Toracco district, where fortified defensive structures once stood.In medieval times, the village featured several noble towers, that is, fortified homes belonging to the most prominent families. The beautiful Gothic tower you will see in Piazza San Martino, later converted into the parish church bell tower, is the only one that has survived to the present day. Let’s now set off together through the village, to discover its architectural details and its rich history.