Finale Ligure (Finâ in Ligurian, Finô in the local variety,
formerly called "Finaro" from the Latin Finarium) is an Italian town
of 11 423 inhabitants in the province of Savona in Liguria, located
in an area of about 35 000 residents. It is the fifth largest
municipality in the province by number of inhabitants.
The
ancient medieval nucleus of Finalborgo was the capital of the
Marquisate of Finale, an ancient pre-unification Italian state from
1162 to 1797; the village itself is part of the circuit of the most
beautiful villages in Italy.
The inhabitants can be called
both "finarini" and "finalesi"; the adjective "Finarino" came into
more use after the unification of Italy, but the antiquated variant
"finarino" is still used today.
Neighborhoods
Finalborgo — ancient village in the inner part where
the welcoming historical center with its small streets is still
surrounded by the original walls.
Finale Marina — near the sea
Pia
final
Regions
Calvisio
Gorra
The manias
Monticello
Olle
For you
San Bernardino
Verzi
Collegiate Basilica of San Giovanni Battista, an imposing parish
church located in Finale Marina.
Collegiate Basilica of San Biagio in
the medieval village of Finalborgo. The current plant is the work of the
architect from Finale Andrea Storace in the 17th century and was built
(after a 90° rotation of the plant) on the 14th century church, of which
the apse has survived. The mausoleum of the last descendant of the
Carretto family, Giovanni Andrea Sforza Del Carretto, is kept there.
Convent complex of Santa Caterina in Finalborgo. Founded in 1359 and
rebuilt after two centuries, with the addition of the two Renaissance
cloisters, it is now the seat of the civic museum. In the adjacent
convent church, now transformed into an auditorium, there are frescoes
from the 15th century.
Convent complex of San Francesco along the
road to Finalborgo. Its first plant was built in 1582 and rebuilt in the
seventeenth century on the remains of a pre-existing medieval church,
which can be visited. It is the seat of the Capuchin Fathers.
Abbey
of Santa Maria di Finalpia, built in the sixteenth century for the
Olivetan monks.
Ancient church of San Cipriano in the hamlet of
Calvisio Vecchia. It was built in the 12th century, among the oldest in
the Finale area, but subsequently rebuilt in Baroque style from 1704.
According to some sources, the structure originally had three naves. In
Romanesque style and dating back to the thirteenth century is the
adjacent stone bell tower of Finale. Today the church is abandoned.
Oratory of San Sebastiano, adjacent to the ancient church of San
Cipriano in Calvisio Vecchia.
New parish church of San Cipriano in
Calvisio, built in neo-Gothic style between 1930 and 1932.
Ancient
church of San Bartolomeo Apostolo in the hamlet of Gorra. It has a
Gothic bell tower, cuspidate and with three floors of mullioned windows,
from the fourteenth century. The building is in a state of abandonment.
Parish church of San Bartolomeo Apostolo in the hamlet of Gorra. The new
religious building was designed in the 1950s by the architect Giuseppe
De Negri on commission from the local parish priest Don Giuseppe
Morelli. The first stone was laid on 29 September 1957 and then opened
for religious worship in 1962. The structure of the building has an
inclined cross plan; in the bell tower there are eight bells, dated
1967, and obtained from the fusion of the bells of the old parish
church.
Chapel of Our Lady of Loreto, located in the Piazza locality,
near the hamlet of Gorra. Dating back to the 17th century, it is locally
known by the name of the Annunziata.
Chapel of San Lazzaro, located
in San Lazzaro, near the hamlet of Gorra. Of ancient origin, it was
rebuilt during the seventeenth century.
Chapel of Santa Rosalia,
located in the Braccio district, near the hamlet of Gorra. It is dated
to 1632.
Chapel of Our Lady of the Snow, located in the Valgelata
district, near the hamlet of Gorra.
Church of San Giacomo, in the
hamlet of Le Manie, from the 19th century (on the site of a chapel from
1797, in turn a reconstruction of an older one). Located on the road to
the Arma delle Manie cave.
Parish church of San Dalmazio Martire in
the hamlet of Monticello. The current church is the result of a
reconstruction in the modern era following the destruction, in 1934, of
the old cult building; traces of the ancient medieval layout remain
visible along the base of the adjacent bell tower. In this church there
is a 14th century fresco depicting the Last Supper and a polyptych
portraying Saint Dalmatius, Saint Biagio and Saint John the Baptist on
the sides, the Madonna and Child, Saint Lucia and Saint Catherine above;
the work, restored, should be datable to the sixteenth century.
Church of San Gennaro in the hamlet of Verzi.
Parish church of San
Giovanni Decollato in the hamlet of Olle.
Parish church of
Sant'Eusebio, in the hamlet of Perti, built from 1714, near and to
replace the ancient 11th century church.
Church of San Sebastiano in
the hamlet of Perti. It preserves frescoes from 1493, as well as the
16th century portal.
Church of Our Lady of Loreto or Church of the
Five Bell Towers in the hamlet of Perti. Built around 1492 by Alfonso I
Del Carretto and his wife.
Chapel of Sant'Antonino in the hamlet of
Perti. Built in the Middle Ages, like the church of Sant'Eusebio, it has
parts in Romanesque style. The structure has a trapezoidal shape with a
semicircular apse and vault to the east; the crypt dates back to the
12th century.
Parish church of San Lorenzo, near the Saracen seaside
village of Varigotti, in Baroque style with a late Gothic style bell
tower.
Church of San Lorenzo, near Punta Crena and the Baia dei
Sareceni, of very ancient origins, was the first parish church of
Varigotti until 1586.
Oratory of Sant'Antonio Abate in the district
of Varigotti.
Church of the Neri in the hamlet of Finalmarina.
Palazzi Ferri and Mendaro, on the upstream side of Piazza Vittorio
Emanuele II in Finale Marina, with typical 17th century facades with
large windows superimposed in three orders, later remodeled.
Palazzo
Buraggi, built at the end of the 16th century, has facades divided by
elongated pilasters and Corinthian capitals, the latter having partly
disappeared from the elegant facade. Decorated inside, along the
entrance staircase, with marble busts, in 1702 the palace hosted the
sovereign Philip V of Spain. Another building owned by the family, but
located in via Garibaldi, also in Finale Marina, is the town hall.
Palazzo Prasca, from the 18th century in Finale Marina, with stucco
decorations and a marble votive aedicule on the façade.
De Raymondi
and Ghiglieri palaces in Finale Marina.
Palazzo Cavasola, from the
16th century in Finalborgo, with traces of frescoes and decorations.
Palazzo Brunenghi in Finalborgo.
Palazzo del Tribunale in Finalborgo,
formerly the judicial and administrative center of the Marquisate of
Finale. In existence since the 14th century, it was restructured by the
Marquis Giovanni I Del Carretto in 1462 who entrusted the recovery
project of the structure to Giorgio Molinari; the latter modified both
the interior and exterior with the construction of a new staircase and
the opening of sandwiched mullioned windows. The internal spaces of the
palace were revisited again in 1781 with the interest of the governor
Giovanni Benedetto Centurioni of the Republic of Genoa. On the outside,
the facade, completely restored in 2011 by the superintendence of
Liguria, features typical fifteenth-century pictorial decorations. It is
currently the seat of the Justice of the Peace office.
Palazzo Ricci
in Finalborgo, renovated in 1528.
Villa Buraggi, in the hamlet of
Calvisio, from the 16th century. It has an access staircase with two
ramps and numerous Renaissance-style marble busts.
Aycardi Theater at
Finalborgo. Inaugurated in 1804, it is, to date, the oldest
nineteenth-century theater in western Liguria. The theatre, obtained
from the pre-existing oratory of the Fathers of the Pious Schools based
on a project by Nicolò Barella, had a capacity of 250 people distributed
in twenty-four boxes and a small stalls. For the representation at the
Aycardi, the opera L'Empirico ed il Masnadiero was specially written in
1845 by Ligurian artists of the local Philharmonic Academy. To date, the
structure has been closed to the public due to unusability since 1965
despite the recent conservation work on the roofs and facade.
Teatro
Camillo Sivori of 1868. Designed by the engineer Giorgio Finocchio and
strongly desired by the community of Finale Marina, its construction was
attended by artists such as Antonio Brilla and Luigi Baroni with sets by
Mario and Giuseppe Moscino and curtain by the painter Giovanni Quinzio.
With three tiers of boxes and stalls, for a total capacity of 400
people, it was later dedicated to Camillo Sivori - a pupil of Niccolò
Paganini - who himself inaugurated the theater with a concert. Closed to
the public since 1956 due to unusability, the structure is currently
undergoing a substantial restoration work for a forthcoming reopening.
Torre di Belenda, in the hamlet of Calvisio, built in the 14th century
among the olive groves.
Arch to Margaret Theresa of Spain. Located on
the seafront of Finale Marina, the triumphal arch was designed by the
Finale architect Sebastiano Bocciardo. Erected in 1666, it bears witness
to the landing in the marquisate of the daughter of Philip IV of Spain,
Margherita Teresa, on her way to Vienna after marrying Leopold I of
Austria by proxy. The arch was commissioned by the then governor of the
Marquisate of Finale Diego Alvarado.
Arch to Carlo Alberto of Savoy.
Located in the eastern part of Finale Marina, near the oratory dei Neri
and Castelfranco, its construction took place in 1836 in memory of the
passage of the sovereign of the Kingdom of Sardinia in the Finale area
to Nice and to celebrate the opening of the new gallery under the
promontory of Caprazoppa.
Roman bridges. At the village of Verzi, in
the Pia valley, you come across the ancient route of the Via Julia
Augusta which runs through the overhanging Val Ponci. Of the ancient
crossings of the Roman era, five bridges still remain today, called:
"Ponte delle Fate", very well preserved, located near the caves of the
same name, "Ponte Sordo" of which only the access ramp remains, "delle
Voze" , "dell'Acqua" and "di Magnone", at the chapel of San Giacomo.
Castrum Perticae. Mentioned in the imperial diploma of Federico
Barbarossa of 1162, in which the investiture of the Marca di Savona to
Enrico I Del Carretto was made official, the building could be dating
back to an era prior to the invasion of the Lombards and therefore
between the VI and VII century. The development and growth of the
capital Finalborgo led to a slow decline and abandonment from the 13th
century.
Finale and its marquisate was protected by three
castles, now partially demolished:
Castel Gavone (or Govone). It was
the seat of the Marquises Del Carretto di Finale starting from the XII
century. Despite the demolition of a large part of the castle, carried
out in 1713 by the Republic of Genoa, the "Torre dei Diamanti" (perhaps
from 1492), streamlined and rusticated, is an extraordinary example of
noble architecture inspired by the military architect Francesco di
Giorgio. A first massive batch of works made it possible to make the
monument accessible to the public. An elevator allows you to go up to
the top of the tower where it is possible to have a broad view of the
Finale area.
Castel San Giovanni. Typical Spanish fortress, built in
1640-1645, still dominates Finalborgo.
Castelfranco. Initially raised
by the Republic of Genoa in 1365 as an anti-carretto function, it was
modified and surrounded by other fortresses whose bastions reached as
far as the coast of Finale Marina, now demolished by the Spaniards in
the 17th century. In the second decade of the 2000s, the site underwent
a recovery and restoration operation.
Numerous caves inhabited by primitive man have been found in the
Finale area, the important finds of which are now housed in the
archaeological museum of Finale.
Cave of the Arene Candide. It is
located to the west of the Caprazoppa promontory. There are numerous
burials, including that of a sixteen or seventeen year old boy - called
the Young Prince - dating back to the Upper Paleolithic, who died,
according to research and studies carried out, in the attack of a wild
beast about 24,000 years ago.
Pollera cave. One of the largest in the
local and provincial area, important Neolithic materials have been found
inside, a sign that the Finale area was a very important creative
centre. Exclusive forms of pottery with a four-lobed mouth have also
been found.
Promontory of Punta Crena in Varigotti. An olive grove by
the sea with a view of the Saracen beach considered one of the most
beautiful in Italy which can be easily accessed only from the sea. The
promontory preserves an ancient watchtower and the remains of a convent.
By plane
The closest airports are in Genoa and Nice. They are
respectively about 45 minutes and 1 hour and a half by car. Neither
airport is connected to the rail network. However, there are regular
buses between the airport and the main train station.
By car
The motorway (A10) which connects northern Italy with France passes a
few kilometers north of the city.
On the train
Finale Ligure
Marina station, Finalmarina. There are direct train connections from
Genoa approximately every 30 minutes (1 hour) and from Milan
approximately every 2 hours (2 and a half hours). There are also
irregular direct trains from La Spezia. Coming from France (Nice) you
have to change in Ventimiglia. From Switzerland you have to change
trains in Milan and possibly also in Genoa.
The centers of Finale are small and everything is within walking
distance. Even getting between the different centers is only a 15-minute
walk away. Hitchhiking is a convenient way to reach climbing sites
outside the city.
By public transport
From the square in front
of the station there is the stop for the urban bus line 40/ for
Finalborgo and/or Savona.
By car
Driving by car can be a pain
due to the narrow streets and many of which are one way only.
By
bike
There is public bike sharing available if you need a bike for a
ride around town. You have to fill out a form, pay the deposit and get
the key to use the basic bikes. One of the bike depots is located at the
roundabout in front of the train station. Free service, €15 (deposit).
Climbing. This is why most people come here.
Hiking.
Beach
life.
There are many restaurants and even cafes sometimes have decent food
available.
Average prices
Da Tonino, Pizzeria Trattoria, Via
Bolla 7. Local Farinata or Pizza from €4 (2015). Authentic pizzeria with
good prices, even in low season crowded with Italians.
Hotels often set a minimum stay of 3 or 4 days during the high season
(July and August). However, it is still possible to stay for shorter
periods upon request. Some hotels cater to specific target groups such
as families, cyclists and climbers and some accept pets.
Modest
prices
There are no hostels in Finale Ligure. The closest is in
Savona.
1 Eurocamping Calvisio, via Calvisio 37 (north of
Finalpia), ☎ +39 019 601240, fax: +39 019 601240,
eurocampingcalvisio@libero.it. For a tent and 2 adults: from €36 (high
season). It has a swimming pool, bar, restaurant, pizzeria and
minimarket. Also apartments for rent.
2 Camping del Mulino, via
castelli (Finalpia), ☎ +39 019 601669, campingmulino@libero.it. For a
tent and 2 adults: from €24 (high season). Also bungalows for rent.
3
Tahiti, via Varese 1 (Finalpia), ☎ +39 019 600600, fax: +39 019 600600.
For a tent and 2 adults: from €23.50 (high season). It has a bar,
market, restaurant and tennis court. Also bungalows for rent.
4
Camping Terre Rosse, Loc. Manie 40/bis (between Finalpia and Noli), ☎
+39 019 698473, info@terrerossecamping.it. For a tent and 2 adults: from
€20 (high season). It has a restaurant (also take-away).
Average
prices
5 Hotel dei Fiori, via Concezione 10, (in Finalmarina, on the
coast road), ☎ +39 019 692 810, fax: +39 019 450 82 61,
info@albergodeifiori.com. Double room: €92/day (2 persons, high season)
incl. breakfast.
6 Residence Glicini, via Bolognani 5 (Finalpia), ☎
+39 019 600671, fax: +39 328 2110308, info@glicini.it. Significantly
lower prices during the off season. Studio of approx. 600€/week (2
people, high season).
7 Hotel San Giuseppe, Via G. A. Silla (in
Finalmarina, near the train station), ☎ +39 019 681 61 95, fax: +39 019
694 348, info@hotelsangiuseppe.com. Double room from €172/day (2
persons, high season) incl. full board. It offers specific services
aimed at families and motorcyclists.
High prices
8 Punta Est,
Via Aurelia 1 (east end of Finalpia, on the coastal road), ☎ +39 019 600
611-2-3, fax: +39 019 600 611-2-3, info@puntaest.com. Double room from €
220/day (2 people, high season) incl. breakfast. Check-in: 2.00pm,
check-out: 12.00pm. It has a private beach (for a fee).
Tourist information, Via S. Pietro, 14 (on the seafront between Finalmarina and Finalpia), ☎ +39 019 681019, finaleligure@inforiviera.it. Mon-Fri 09:00-12:30, 15:00-19:00. Lots of information about the activities. Moderately helpful staff.
The town is located on the western Ligurian Riviera
between the promontories of Caprazoppa, to the west, and Capo Noli
to the east.
The urban structure of Finale Ligure is divided
into three main nuclei, until 1927 distinct municipalities:
Finalmarina (or Finale Marina), the area of more recent
urbanization thanks to tourism, whose inhabitants are called
"gnabbri" in Finalese dialect, Finalpia ( or Finale Pia), located on
the coast that preserves the original structure of the city and
Finalborgo (or Finale Borgo, the capital of the historic Marquisate
of Finale surrounded by the ancient fifteenth-century walls and
dominated by the castles Govone and San Giovanni).
Finale
Ligure is the main center of the homonymous district, the Finalese,
also known as "del Finale", which extends from Spotorno to Borghetto
Santo Spirito, including the hinterland.
The
climate of Finale Ligure is of the Mesomediterranean type, with a
sub-humid shadow type. The mountain ridge that develops between
Mount Settepani and Pian dei Corsi, remaining at altitudes almost
always between 1000 and 1400 m, constitutes an important climatic
barrier, preventing the direct influence of cold air masses on the
coastal climate which, in winter, are stationed on the Po Valley and
on the northern side of the Ligurian Prealps; moreover, the
northerly winds, in their descent towards the coast, heat up due to
the adiabatic compression.
It follows that the coastal towns
belonging to the Municipality of Finale Ligure have a microclimate
characterized by mild winters, with average daily temperatures
which, in the December-February quarter, are around + 9 / + 10 ° C.
Frosts are also very sporadic (the average is just over 1 day /
year), as are snowfalls which are very rare (1 or 2 days of snow per
decade, compared to about 2 days / year in the Savona area).
The hilly parts (Perti, Gorra, Olle, Monticello, Le Mànie) and those
of the valley floor (Finalborgo, Calvisio) are slightly colder than
the coastal ones (Finalmarina, Finalpia, Varigotti), respectively
due to the altitude effect (however modest ) and thermal inversion;
however, even these localities are characterized by overall very
mild microclimates in winter. Summers in Finale Ligure are hot
(average values in July and August along the coastal strip around
+ 24 / + 25 ° C), but windy and less humid than in other areas of
the Ligurian coast.
Precipitation is moderate, settling
around average values of about 800 mm / year and has a prevalently
autumn distribution (October-November) with a second maximum
precipitation in the first part of spring (March-April). Their
distribution is irregular, in fact the rainy days are less than 60 /
year and this can lead both to drought periods of moderate duration,
and to very intense precipitating phenomena, sometimes with a
cloudburst character (this is a typical characteristic of almost all
of Liguria).
The numerous archaeological finds, found in the caves and grottoes of
the Finale area, have allowed historians to date the first human
settlements as early as the Paleolithic. Among the most important
prehistoric sites is the Arene Candide cavity, where the "burial of the
Young Prince" was found, considered by historians to be one of the
oldest Paleolithic tombs in Europe. On the other hand, finds dating back
to the upper and middle Paleolithic were found in the Grotta delle Fate
(or Caverna delle Fate), a beautiful structure with a sub-horizontal
development, located in the Arma delle Manie, currently closed to
visits. Still, then, in the Arene Candide a primitive cemetery was
discovered with as many as fifteen individuals. Currently these finds,
to which must be added finds of artefacts and tools, are on display at
the civic museum, located inside the convent complex of Santa Caterina
in Finalborgo.
The territory of Finale is also rich in pre-Roman,
Roman, early Christian and Byzantine architectural remains. During the
Roman era, the territory of Finale Ligure marked the border between the
populations of the Ligurian Sabazi and the Ligurian Ingauni, the ancient
tribes present in western Liguria already in prehistoric times. The
oldest Christian testimony in Liguria was discovered in Perti. Even
after the barbarian invasions, the Finale area remained under Byzantine
control until the conquest by Rotari in 641. The Byzantine presence has
been documented by archaeological excavations in Varigotti and in the
castrum of Sant'Antonino.
The first written testimony of the
Finale area dates back to 967, when the emperor Ottone I in a diploma
donated many lands to Aleramo del Monferrato, including the castle of
Orco, above Finale. The Finale was inherited by the descendant of
Aleramo, Enrico del Vasto, who obtained the investiture from Federico
Barbarossa in 1162, together with the other lands of the Marca di
Savona.
The Del Carretto marquis family, descended from Enrico,
here established the powerful Marquisate of Finale, annexing other minor
fiefdoms, but clashed, above all for commercial reasons, with the
Republic of Genoa, owner of almost all the ports of Liguria. Genoa
imposed the commercial agreements of 1290 and 1340 on the Del Carrettos.
In 1385 the republic acquired the dominion of half of the feud, with a
sentence issued by the doge Antoniotto Adorno, never recognized by the
emperor.
Shortly afterwards, however, Galeotto I Del Carretto and
his brother Giovanni rejected Genoese control after obtaining the
protection of the Viscontis first and then of the Sforzas. Between 1447
and 1448 Genoa invaded the marquisate and destroyed Finalborgo and
Castel Govone: events described by the historian Gianmario Filelfo. Two
years later, Finale returned to the hands of the Carrettesca family with
the decisive help of the French, finally free from the war effort
against the English in the long Hundred Years War and present in the
Republic of Asti.
In 1496 Alfonso I Del Carretto obtained from
Massimiliano I the total investiture of the marquisate, confirmed to his
son Giovanni II Del Carretto by Charles V in 1529. Between 1507 and 1514
Alfonso I was ousted from the government of the marquisate by his
brother Carlo Domenico, cardinal, a friend both of the Ligurian pope
Julius II (who had wanted him close to him in Rome as a high prelate,
despite the fact that he had never formulated his ecclesiastical vows),
and of the French king Louis XII, with whom he had entered into close
relations because "orator " (i.e. ambassador) pontifical to the French
court. It was the period of maximum extension of the marquisate which,
after the victorious war against Genoa, had extended its dominions
beyond the yoke, in the Bormida valley, as far as Saliceto and Paroldo,
on the Upper Langhe: a season of rich trade and intense building
renewal.
But it was a short-lived season. In 1558, relying on the
rebellion of some inhabitants of Finale against the bad governance of
Alfonso II Del Carretto, Genoa again invaded the marquisate.
A
few decades of political turbulence followed, but the details concern
rather the history of the Marquisate of Finale. Spain managed to seize
Finale definitively in 1602.
The Finale, however, formally
remained an imperial fiefdom even if the feudal lord was directly the
king of Spain. And it was an important possession, as the terminal point
and only port of access, in Spanish hands, to a strip of imperial
territory, the Spanish Way, which passing from the Milanese area to the
Valtellina reached as far as the Netherlands and was indispensable for
the transport of troops direct or coming from Spain or the Kingdom of
Naples. The Spanish possession also led to a new revaluation of the
cultural and religious heritage of the marquisate, expanded and revised
in the 16th century already in the Carretto era, as well as a general
restructuring and fortification of the castles and forts of the Finale
area.
The Spanish domination lasted for over a century and it was
only in 1707 that it officially ceased after the crisis that began in
1700 with the death of Charles II of Spain. Soon the expansionist aims
of the Republic of Genoa also absorbed the former pro-Spanish marquisate
of Finale, with the official acquisition of the possessions in 1713.
Genoa was therefore the new feudal lord of the marquisate, exercising
its power through a governor, but due to past during which time it was
an enemy (the destruction of Castel Gavone as early as 1715 should be
noted) it struggled quite a bit to "tame" the community of Finale,
especially in 1730 and 1734 with the outbreak of some village revolts.
With the death of Charles VI of Habsburg, in 1740, the territory was
once again subject to warfare, this time by Austrian, Piedmontese,
English, French and Spanish troops engaged in the war of the Austrian
succession in 1746. Genoese domination was confirmed with Treaty of
Aachen, despite the ambitions of the Savoys, who had taken possession of
the marquisate of Finale in the previous two years.
By now lost
the ancient greatness of the marquisate, however it kept the title even
if irrelevant and important like any Ligurian citizen of the republic.
The final page of the ancient State was the invasion in 1795 by the
French army of Napoleon Bonaparte engaged in the Italian Campaign. Once
the marquisate fell, the Genoese republic was suppressed and the
Ligurian Republic was established in the First French Empire in 1805,
Finale too followed the successive historical events of the Ligurian
territory, returning on 2 December 1797 to the Department of Maremola,
with its capital being Pietra. From 28 April 1798 with the new French
regulations, it will be part of the 1st Canton, as capital, of the Arene
Candide Jurisdiction and from 1803 the main center of the 5th Canton of
Arene Candide in the Colombo Jurisdiction. From 13 June 1805 to 1814 he
was placed in the Department of Montenotte.
In 1815 the three
main territories were incorporated into the Kingdom of Sardinia, as
established by the Congress of Vienna in 1814 also for the other
municipalities of the Ligurian republic, and subsequently in the Kingdom
of Italy from 1861. From 1859 to 1927 the territory was included in the
IV district of Finalborgo in the district of Albenga, part of the
province of Genoa; in 1927 it passed under the newly established
province of Savona.
In the same year the municipality of Finale
Ligure was established, from the merger of the three pre-existing
municipalities of Finalborgo, Finale Marina and Finale Pia. Due to its
historical importance, since 2007 Finale Ligure has been awarded the
title of City with the Decree of the President of the Republic.
From 1973 to 30 April 2011 it was the administrative headquarters of the
Pollupice mountain community, the latter united with the Ingauna
mountain community with the Regional Law nº 24 of 4 July 2008. From 30
April 2015 to 31 December 2019 it was part of the Union of
municipalities in the Finale area, of which it housed the administrative
headquarters.
Libraries
Finalese media library at the convent complex of Santa
Caterina di Finalborgo.
Schools
Finale Ligure is home to the
following state schools, related to the upper secondary school cycle:
State Professional Institute for Hotel and Catering Services "Augusto
Migliorini";
State Professional Institute of Industry and
Craftsmanship "Leonardo da Vinci";
"Arturo Issel" State Scientific,
Linguistic, Socio-Psychopedagogical and Socio-Economic High School.
Archaeological Museum of Finale. Opened in 1931 in the restored convent complex of Santa Caterina, in Finalborgo, it preserves important prehistoric archaeological finds documenting over 350,000 years of human presence in this area of Finale.
Cinema
Some "exteriors" of famous films were shot in Finale
Ligure:
Alberto Lattuada's The Beach (filmed in the summer of
1953; film released in 1954)
Souvenir d'Italie by Antonio Pietrangeli
(filmed in the summer of 1956; film released in 1957)
TV
Many
sequences of Rosso San Valentino, an Italian television series broadcast
from 23 April to 8 May 2013 on Rai 1 (also filmed in Noli, at the Santa
Corona di Pietra hospital) were also filmed there (both in Finalmarina
and Finalborgo and Finalpia). Ligure and at the Genoa airport; and,
outside Liguria, in the historic center of Nettuno and in the Children's
Village / Children's Republic of Civitavecchia).
The dramatic
final sequence of the last episode of the first season of the RAI 1
fiction Blanca was filmed in Punta Crena.
Festa dell'Inquietudine (end of May), conceived in 1996 by the
Circolo degli Inquieti, is a national prize that is awarded to the
Inquieto of the Year (a recognition to the person, to being him).
Palio delle Compagne Finalesi (second weekend in July), event in
medieval costume with the National Trophy of Flag-wavers;
The Night
of the Tarot (August 12 and 13), two evenings dedicated to tarology,
esoteric practices, messages for the soul; since 2018 it takes place
every year in the streets of Finalborgo, one of the most beautiful
villages in Italy.
Journey into the Middle Ages (third week of
August), costumed event in the setting of the medieval village of
Finalborgo awarded by the Presidency of the Republic: for four evenings
games, shows, ancient crafts and cultural activities;
Sguardi sul
Mare (summer period), annual photography review dedicated to the sea;
Concert season Sound Paths in the cloisters of the convent complex of
Santa Caterina di Finalborgo;
24 hours of Mountain Bike Le Mànie
plateau Finale Ligure last weekend of May. Endurance race which is part
of the 24 CUP MTB which has linked all the Italian 24 hours since 2004,
the 24 hours of Finale Ligure the first 24 hours in Italy;
Enduro
World Series, Enduro MTB world championship;
Finale for Nepal
(September), an annual sport climbing event with the aim of financing
volunteer projects in Nepal.
In the hinterland behind, the hamlets of Olle, Gorra, Perti,
Monticello, San Bernardino, Calvisio, Verzi are also part of the
municipal territory for a land area of 33.53 km². Further away, towards
Noli, the hamlet of Varigotti, famous for its beach and for the
characteristic houses of the fishermen, on the seashore, in Saracen
style.
It borders to the north with the municipalities of Calice
Ligure, Orco Feglino, Vezzi Portio and Noli, to the south with the
Ligurian Sea, to the west with Tovo San Giacomo and Borgio Verezzi, to
the east with Noli.
It is an important and renowned tourist resort known for its mild
climate in every season, renowned for its sea and sandy beaches, with
appreciable and pleasant hillside settlements.
Since 2007 Finale
Ligure has once again obtained the coveted recognition of the Blue Flag
established in 1987, European year for the environment. The campaign is
managed in all European states by the local bodies of the FEE which,
through a national Jury Committee, carry out check-up visits on the
candidate citizens to then propose the nation's candidatures to the
International FEE. The Blue Flag is awarded for two merits: the Blue
Flag of the beaches certifies the quality of the bathing waters and
beaches, while the Blue Flag of the tourist ports ensures the
cleanliness of the waters adjacent to the ports and the absence of
sewage. The Blue Flag is a recognition conferred by the FEE (Foundation
for Environmental Education) to European coastal resorts that meet
quality criteria relating to bathing water parameters and the service
offered, taking into consideration, for example, the cleanliness of the
beaches and tourist marinas. Another important recognition of
environmental protection are the two sails granted by the Blue Guide of
Legambiente. The city of Finale Ligure was also awarded in 2011 with the
"Animal Friendly City" plaque by the Ministry of Tourism.
In the
secluded and orderly industrial area various craft activities flourish,
to the west of the city there was also an aeronautical plant of Piaggio
Aero Industries, an Italian company that builds civil and military
aircraft by now transferred to Villanova d'Albenga. The history of the
company and its impact on the territory has been reconstructed in the
film A century on the fly by Teo Del Luigi
Even agricultural
production, typical of the western Ligurian Riviera, has its important
place in the local economy.
Streets
The territory of Finale Ligure is mainly crossed by the
state road 1 Via Aurelia which allows the road connection with Borgio
Verezzi, to the west, and Noli to the east. Other arteries are the
provincial road 490 which, through the Melogno hill, connects the
Ligurian territory to Piedmont; the provincial road 8 for Vezzi Portio,
the SP 17 for Calice Ligure and the SP 27 for Orco Feglino. It is also
easily accessible thanks to its toll booth on the A10 motorway.
Railways
Finale Ligure has its own railway station on the
Ventimiglia-Genoa railway line in the local section between Ventimiglia
and Savona. The Finale Ligure railway station is well served by both
local and regional trains as well as long-distance inter-regional
trains.
The Genoa - Finale Ligure railway line is already running
on double track, beyond Finale Ligure, in the section still on a single
track of 52 km.
The completion of the doubling of the section
from Finale to San Lorenzo al Mare was planned entirely upstream of the
current route, and will be carried out in two functional phases: for the
first section of about 18.5 km, from Andora to San Lorenzo, the new
track was opened on 11 December 2016; for the second section,
approximately 31.5 km long, which is currently being finalised, the one
from Finale to Andora (to complete the entire Finale Ligure -
Ventimiglia line), the completion of the works was scheduled for 2014
but the times are shifting by almost 10 years).
This work will
also provide valid support for the relief of congestion on the Ligurian
motorways which are currently under heavy traffic pressure, especially
in the summer months and at weekends. The railways expect to go from the
current 85 to as many as 200 trains per day (projections according to
current estimates).
The City of Finale Ligure obtained the title of "European Town of
Sport" in 2012.
F.B.C. Finale, a football club founded in 1908,
playing in the Serie D championship;
Tennis Club Finale, a tennis
club founded in 1928, playing in the men's Serie B championship and in
the women's Serie C championship;
Volley Team Final militant in the
men's Serie C volleyball championship;
Finale Basket Club playing in
the Serie D basketball championship.
For several years Finale has
hosted two important mountain bike events a year: the 24h in May and the
Enduro World Series in October. Considered throughout the world as one
of the greatest exponents of this sport with trail equipment,
agritourism resorts and B&B shuttles.
Climbing
In Finale
Ligure there are a large number of cliffs and rock walls where sport
climbing is practiced, with grades ranging from 3a to 8c. Between the
sixties and the end of the eighties Finale Ligure was one of the
symbolic places where European climbing developed in the direction of
sport climbing separating itself from mountaineering. In fact, although
there were no notable peaks to reach and despite the mild climate, the
climb in Finale Ligure has focused over the years on the search for a
technical gesture and an ever-increasing degree of difficulty. Among
those who have opened and bolted numerous routes in the Finale Ligure
area are: Gianni Calcagno, Alessandro Grillo, Giovanni Massari, Martino
Lang, Andrea Gallo, Patrick Berhault, Nicola Ivaldo, Luca Biondi, Marco
Zambarino and Luciano Zambarino, Vittorio Olinto Simonetti .