Holiday apartment in Gavedo: Chiesa, Palazzo and MTB trail

Gavedo combines a natural mountain terrace, distinctive historic buildings and a challenging MTB trail. If you are planning a holiday apartment in Gavedo, you can base your decision on this interplay between historic architecture and a landscape shaped by sporting activities. This leaves room both for culture and for an active day on a mountain bike.

Holiday apartment in Gavedo between mountain terrace and MTB trail

Gavedo is situated on a natural terrace on the slopes of Mount La Nuda. In the municipality of Mulazzo, the Lunigiana Bike Area offers a signposted and well-maintained MTB trail leading to the districts of Gavedo and Terceretoli. The Mulazzo MTB Adventure trail is 34 km long and is classified as challenging both in terms of physical demands and technical difficulty. Along it, the view extends from the watershed to the Golfo dei Poeti. The trail length and dual classification help you assess the sporting nature of your planned day realistically.

Chiesa dei Santi Lorenzo e Donnino

The present-day Chiesa dei Santi Lorenzo e Donnino was commissioned by the Marquises Brignole-Sale based on a design by the Genoese architect Matteo Vinzoni and completed in 1736. The church stands in Gavedo, which historically was the main centre of the fiefdom of Groppoli. Its interior has vaulted ceilings and is decorated with frescoes, while the façade is neoclassical and austere in design. The upper order features a central round window.

The two side altars also reflect 18th-century Ligurian art: the left side altar in the nave features the oil painting “Madonna con Bambino, Angeli e Santi” from the early 18th century. The right side altar features “Transito di San Giuseppe”, another Ligurian oil painting from the first half of the 18th century.

Castello and Palazzo Brignole-Sale

The historic character of Gavedo includes the medieval Castello di Gavedo, an imposing square structure in an elevated position. An archived view from 1727 shows the Castello di Gavedo above the Geriola watercourse. Another view from the same year shows the Palazzo Brignole-Sale on Gavedo’s terrace.

The Palazzo Brignole-Sale is a 17th-century building that was renovated by Matteo Vinzoni in the 18th century. It has a distinctly underground cellar and a park opposite the Chiesa dei Santi Lorenzo e Donnino. In Gavedo di Groppoli, Matteo Vinzoni designed the enclosure of the large Marquis’ palace. This was built in the first decades of the 17th century based on a design by the Genoese architect Bianchi. A substantial perimeter wall with four corner towers protects the Palazzo.

A double-curved access ramp at the bridge over the moat provides access to the piano nobile, the main floor of the Palazzo Brignole-Sale, and is preserved in a documented depiction of the complex. When choosing your holiday apartment, you can therefore weigh up whether to focus on Gavedo’s historic buildings, the 34 km-long MTB trail or a combination of both themes.

Other places to compare: Montereggio.

For the higher-level travel overview: Mulazzo.