Holiday apartment in Zuccarello: arcades, castle ruins and protected areas

Zuccarello brings together medieval buildings, distinctive landscapes and regional characteristics within a small area. The town was founded in 1248 by the Clavesana family. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment in Zuccarello will find a place whose character is revealed both through its visible history and through the surrounding protected areas.

Arcades, gates and medieval buildings

Zuccarello’s only narrow main street is lined with arcades and pillars in the Ligurian-Piedmontese style. Trompe-l’œil paintings decorate these architectural elements and give the street a distinctive character. It connects two towered gates, which were linked by the defensive walls descending from the castle heights. The bridge known as the Ponte romano also deserves a closer look: it is in fact medieval and has a humpbacked profile.

The medieval parish church of San Bartolomeo includes an old stone bell tower with two- and three-arched windows. The church also contains a painting by Orazio De Ferrari. A wooden Christ dating from the 15th century is preserved in the Oratorio di Santa Maria Nascente. The medieval walls and arcades of Zuccarello are listed in the Italian national heritage register.

Castle ruins and landscapes around Zuccarello

Zuccarello Castle is now a ruin. Its remains tower above the town below. The castle is also associated with the story of Ilaria Del Carretto: she was born in Zuccarello and grew up in Zuccarello Castle. The best-preserved side tower bears traces of 15th-century frescoes.

Zuccarello lies within the Castellermo-Rocca Livernà provincial protected area. This protected area encompasses spectacular rock faces several hundred metres high on the right slope of the Pennavaire, as well as numerous peaks, rock towers, monoliths, deeply incised valleys and narrow ridges. The town also lies within the Monte Galero provincial protected area. Its southern slope is wild and forested, while the western ridge features rocky peaks. Another landscape area to which Zuccarello belongs is the Poggio Grande, Monte Acuto, Valle Rio Ibà provincial protected area. It contains significant fossil deposits as well as numerous surface and underground karst formations.

Holiday apartment in Zuccarello between culture and nature

When choosing your holiday apartment in Zuccarello, you can base your decision on the focus you want for your stay: local history, architecture, landscape, a route through olive groves and chestnut forests, or regional cuisine. The hiking trail leads from Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena through olive groves and chestnut forests to Zuccarello. In 1459, the Palazzo Marchionale hosted a meeting between Giovanni di Calabria, the representative of the King of France and Genoa, and the Marchesi del Carretto, to seal the peace between Genoa and the Del Carretto di Finale. Every year, local restaurants put together menus featuring Zuccarello pumpkins registered as De.Co. This allows different interests to be combined when planning a stay, without reducing the town to a single facet.

Discover more places via Vendone, Villalunga, Vezzi Portio, Stella, Nasino-Borgo, Piani, Bergeggi and Testico.

To the overview of the wider region: Savona.