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Savona itineraries:
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In the 13th century Savona was a free Commune, at war with the Genoese nonetheless, who seized power once and for all in 1528 and razed the town's fine port to the ground. It was Napoleon and, in the 19th century, the Savoia dynasty who turned Savona back into a town worthy of the name, building it a real port. Savona still has traces of the medieval and baroque in its old docks, of 19th century style in its long, straight porticoes and elegant Piedmont-esc squares and of the modern movement along the banks of the river Letimbro, often no more than a stream.
Towards the sea at the end of Via Paleocapa stands the short but imposing Leon Pancaldo tower, the last remaining traces of the 14th century walls; it is named after a Savonese sailor who accompanied Magellano on his travels.
There are many buildings and ruined towers worth visiting in the nearby area. Via Pia leads on to the porticoes of Via Paleocapa, but it is worthwhile making a detour along Via Aonzo towards Piazzetta del Vescovado and the 18th century Palazzo Vescovile, not to mention the Cathedral square which stands at the rear of Palazzo Della Rovere. The Duomo or cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta was built in the late 16th century to replace its predecessor which was demolished following the construction of the Priamar fortress. It was Celle-born Francesco della Rovere, pope Sixtus IV from 1471 to 1484, who commissioned this chapel and its much more illustrious counterpart in the Papal Palaces of the Vatican. Savona's own Sistine Chapel stands next to the chatedral. It was built by Lombard craftsmen between 1481 and 1483 as a mausoleum for the pope's parents. In the mid 18th century it was transformed ino a light, airy rococo jewel, decorated with colorful floral motifs in stucco work and embellished with paintings, a choir and 17th century organ and the funereal monument built in 1483. It is without doubt one of the region's greatest artistic treasures. Woodlands around Savona: you can see that Savona is the Provincial capital with the greatest forestry cover in the whole of Italy as soon as you leave the town and begin to climb the hills around it: this was Savona Wood, vast forests of prized timber which for centuries supplied the shipyards of the Republic of Genoa, particularly those in nearby Varazze. The woods are just as densely packed and untamed today; very few roads run through them and you are much more likely to come across a herd of grazing cows than a car. It is well worth travelling up through the valley of the Letimbro to the 6th/7th century Sanctuary of Nostra Signora della Misericordia, with its pretty square and Palazzo Pallavicino and Tursi, not to mention a marble depiction of the Visitation, perhaps by Bernini. The road rolls on into the countryside towards Montenotte, site (in 1796) of one of the numerous battles which launched Napoleon's ephemeral conquest of Italy and Europe. After the hush of so many trees, the Giovo pass offers more obvious traces of human civilisation, first in the shape of a refuge, final destination for the forest's many mountain horse riding trails which offer views of the stunning natural landscape that no motorised means can rival. Then the landscape begins to slowly change from the mountainous to the agricultural as you make your way down towards the sea through the isolated villages of the Commune of Stella, amid terraced gardens, broom trees and olive groves. Text courtesy of APT Riviera delle Palme
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