Holiday apartment in Mele – Paper Mills, Acquasanta and Trails

The Museo Carta Mele, Acquasanta, the area used by migratory birds on their routes and several trails appeal to different interests. If you choose a holiday apartment in Mele, you can give cultural discoveries, a regional festival tradition and active days the importance that suits your preferred travel pace.

Holiday apartment in Mele between paper history and Acquasanta

The former Piccardo paper mill is located in the Museo Carta Mele. It was built in 1756 and closed in 1985. Visitors can follow the former process there, in which plant fibres and waste paper were turned into new paper. Another way to explore the history of paper is “Andar per Cartiere”: the route starts at “Fondocrosa”, the southernmost district of the municipality of Mele, and leads to the “Ferriera”, an ensemble of eight old paper mills. Along the way, visitors reach the village of Gorsexio, where they can see the waterwheel of an old mill. The complete “Andar per Cartiere” route also includes a possible trail leading from Mele along the Gorsexio stream to the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri.

Acquasanta and religious art

The first reliable documentary reference to the Santuario N.S. dell’Acquasanta dates from 1465. The Cappelletta near Acquasanta stands by a sulphur spring and houses an old wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. The Festa N.S. Signora dell’Acquasanta takes place in Acquasanta on the last Sunday in July and includes a torchlit procession. In the Oratorio di Sant’Antonio Abate, a cycle of paintings by Carlo Giuseppe Ratti depicts scenes from the life of Saint Anthony the Abbot dating from 1777–1782. It also houses a 18th-century processional chest of Saint Anthony the Abbot by Anton Maria Maragliano.

The Museo della Carta di Mele can be reached from Genoa by train to Genova Acquasanta. From there, it is a ten-minute walk; alternatively, AMT bus route 101 goes to the Acquasanta Santuario stop. This specific connection is particularly interesting for a stay focused on the history of paper and Acquasanta.

Trails, bird migration and local tradition

The Mele area is used by migratory birds, including the short-toed snake eagle (Circaetus gallicus) and the European honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus), as a stopover area along their routes. Vertikal Punta Martin is a mountain race in the Vertical Kilometer format, starting in Acquasanta at 165 m above sea level, a district of the municipality of Mele. One of the two routes of the Sentiero Frassati is reserved for experienced hikers because of the mountaineering difficulties on the narrow rock ledges of the northern ridge of Costolone Baiardetta. When choosing a holiday apartment in Mele, you can therefore focus on birdwatching, a mountain race or a hike for experienced hikers.

In the area around Mele, the Terme di Acquasanta thermal complex was built between 1830 and 1832 to use sulphurous water for treatments. The Sagra du fugassin is a traditional festival centred on Mele’s typical potato focaccini. Alongside trails and culture, a local speciality and the history of sulphurous water are therefore among the topics you can consider when planning your trip.

Further places for planning your trip

Further places for planning your trip: Bracco, Torrazza, Camogli, Rossiglione, Recco, Sestri Levante, Bricco, Sant'olcese.

For the higher-level travel overview: Genoa.