Braida District

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.