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The true beauty of a land can be seen by visiting even the lesser-known places, especially for the wonderful history they allow us to discover. This is the main reason why in this article we want to talk to you about Zuccarello, a charming village in the hinterland of Albenga. Such as Verezzi and Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena, Zuccarello is one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy and with them represents that part of our area untouched by mass tourism.
At just 19 km from Alassio and about 15 minutes by car, there is a place of magic: the fortified village of Zuccarello, founded in 1248, is overlooked from above by the remains of the Del Carretto castle.
The main street, lined with low arcades, runs through it and the Sottana gate to the south, flanked by two medieval towers, opens the entrance to the village.
Outside the gate, the late medieval bridge crosses the Neva creek, which gives its name to the valley. This particular centre retains its medieval layout. From the main street, one enters a network of “caruggi”. Zuccarello is part of the circuit of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages and was founded as a fortified trading village thanks to its position on the salt road that is now the main access route to the Upper Tanaro Valley: it climbs the San Bernardino, descends to Garessio and continues into Piedmont territory towards the province of Cuneo. From here you can enjoy different panoramas from the usual routes.
Having been formed as a commercial village, it is not surprising to note that many of the doors that open under the porticoes have the structure of ancient shops, with the entrance flanked by an opening that served as a shelf for displaying products, a sort of ancient ‘shop window’. Some of the active shops still have this particular and curious structure, historical evidence of Zuccarello’s ancient commercial function.
The first is the Historical Re-enactment of the Wedding of Ilaria Del Carretto, held in July and one of the most important and popular costume events in Liguria. The second is held between the end of October and the beginning of November (it usually takes advantage of the All-Saints festivity): the Pumpkin Festival. A part because it recalls the name of the vegetable, a part because it is a delicious product, the village is invaded by many visitors. On this event they can both taste many pumpkin dishes and take advantage of the stands and the opportunity to admire Zuccarello surrounded by autumn colours.
From Zuccarello along the Sentiero di Ilaria (Ilaria’s Path) we reach Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena from Via del Castello. Outside the turreted entrance gate to the village, a bronze statue of Ilaria Del Carretto (by the artist Flavio Furlano) welcomes us.
Beyond the gate, a series of characteristic medieval double arcades accompanies us to the end of the village (just after the church), on the left we can see the slate fustigation column, to which the prisoners were tied.
Just before the northern gate, a cobbled path branches off to the right and leads us in twenty minutes to the ruins of Zuccarello Castle.
A quick look at what remains of Ilaria’s birthplace castle and we follow our road, at times paved, at times unpaved, between terraces of olive and chestnut trees, we pass a small white chapel and, after about an hour from our departure, we come in sight of Castelvecchio di Rocca Barbena.
The circular village is perched on a rocky spur and overlooked by the huge feudal castle erected by the Clavesana family and belonged for a long time to the Del Carretto family (today private and closed to the public).
Arriving in the centre, one can ‘lose oneself’ in the narrow, winding alleys, untouched for a thousand years, and cross the pretty Piazza della Torre, known as the ‘hanged man’s’ square.
Silence and rare tourists complete the beautiful picture.
One starts from a beautiful village and reaches an even more beautiful village, rich in charm and history, off the beaten tourist track.
It is the first and most beautiful of the walled villages of Neva Valley, wrapped in a circle around the castle that dominates it. The castle was built by the Clavesana family in the 11th century, when the place was still called Vallis Cohedani, a mysterious place-name that identified one of the main ‘salt routes’, connecting the Piedmont plain with western Liguria through the trade of oil, wine, grain and wood. The castle reflects the character of the proud mountain nobility who were able to resist much more powerful neighbours such as the Savoys and the Republic of Genoa. It is accessed by climbing the narrow, winding lanes that branch off the main alleyway. The family that lives there today is responsible for the conservation work that has brought it back to life.
The village is characterised by its old stone houses, tufa portals, terraced roofs and arched attics in which figs and mushrooms were dried, the silhouettes of the ovens protruding from the walls of the houses, where bread was baked for the community, and the white frames on the windows, which recall motifs from the Alpine-Provençal area. The fortress houses, connected by arches in an earthquake-proof function on the internal streets, are reconciled with the Mediterranean appearance of the terraced roofs, which perhaps preserve the memory of their origins: the first inhabitants are said to have come up here from the coast to escape Saracen raids. Among the houses perched on the slopes of the castle is the one where Björn Afzelius used to write his songs.
The Church of the Assumption, although having undergone renovations in the Baroque period, retains the bell tower with spire of the original building. The Oratory of the Disciplinants overlooks the Tower Square, where the gallows once stood. From the road leading to the cemetery, you can reach the hillock on which the 17th-century sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie is built. From here there is a beautiful view of the village and the landscape, dominated by the cultivated strips near the houses.
Gossip from the past: daughter of the Marquis of Zuccarello, Ilaria del Carretto, went to marry Paolo Guinigi, lord of Lucca in 1403, and died in childbirth at the age of just 26.
Poets such as Quasimodo, Pasolini and D’Annunzio have written about her. Her beauty was immortalised in marble by Jacopo della Quercia sculpting the sarcophagus of the cathedral of San Martino in Lucca. Yes, because she was unlucky, Ilaria: she died young and unlucky princesses, as we know, remain in the heart.
We have shown you the way… if you want to meet her, to walk in her footsteps, to breathe her air, the atmosphere in which she grew up, then go to Zuccarello!
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