Around Lavagna

Two documents, by the monks of the abbey of San Colombano di Bobbio, attest to the presence of a monastic nucleus in Borzone in medieval times. The first is from 774, when Charlemagne, delimiting the jurisdiction of the monastery of Bobbio, mentions Borzone, and the second is from 972, when Ottone I reconfirms the jurisdiction, expressly mentioning "the monastery and the villa of Borzono". In the 12th century it was under the jurisdiction of the abbot of the Monastery of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro in Pavia, until its handover in 1128 to the bishop of Genoa.

Under the counts Fieschi of Lavagna, who became the new owners of Borzone in 1145, the church was given the title of abbey in 1184. In the 17th century the church underwent alterations; between 1644 and 1704, new windows were added, along with new interior decorations and marble altars. From 1834 to 1835 the abbey underwent various structural interventions such as the transformation of the chancel and the elevation of the nave, which also modified the appearance of the facade. Between 1950 and 1958 the superintendency for the architectural heritage of Liguria carried out restoration works, which brought the original medieval structures of the monastic complex back to light.

The monastic complex includes the church, sacristy, cloister and a building used as a rectory and a farmhouse. A tower, in ashlar blocks from the early 13th century, was transformed into a bell tower in 1310 by the addition of a belfry. The other structures visible date back to the 16th or 17th century, with the exception of the guesthouse, built in the 19th century. The cypress in front of the church is classified among the monumental trees of the Liguria region. Until 2003, the church housed a polyptych depicting the apostle Andrew, a work attributed to Giovanni da Barbagelata or Carlo Braccesco, now housed in the diocesan museum at Chiavari. A copy of the work of art has been placed above the high altar in the abbey. The crucifixion with the Virgin and Saint John the Baptist is depicted in the upper central section; on the right are Saint Bernard Abbot and Saint Apollonia, while on the left are saints Eufemiano and Antonio Abate. In the lower part, in the middle, are saints Andrew, Peter, Sebastian, Lawrence and Catherine.

Chiavari is criss-crossed by endless avenues of palms, oleanders and orange trees. The Palazzo dei Portici Neri in Piazza Fenice, dating back to the XIII century, is the most significant monument of medieval civil architecture in all of Chiavari. There is also the imposing cathedral, home to the Shrine of Nostra Signora dell'Orto.

In the 17th-century church, with its marble colonnade and three naves, there are wooden statues by Maragliano and paintings by Orazio De Ferrari.

Every second Saturday and Sunday of the month, it plays host to one of the most important antique markets in its old centre, while on the last weekend of the month, the Mercatino dei Sapori (market of flavours) takes place in Via Rivarola, with delicacies from all over Italy.

Chiavari is just over a mile from Lavagna.

In the village of San Salvatore is the Basilica of the Fieschi, dating back to the 13th century, one of the most famous medieval sights in Liguria, set in fairytale surroundings of vineyards and olive trees. From the square below begins one of the most evocative walking routes, the Via dell'Ardesia, a route used barefoot by the camalle, the slate carriers, to carry the very heavy slabs, on their heads, from the quarries to the sea, where they were loaded onto little boats. Cogorno and the village of San Salvatore di Cogorno are four and a half miles from Lavagna.

Among the workshops, trattorias and traditional shops, you can glimpse the noble past of “Genoa la Superba”, in the 16th-century palazzi, Baroque votive shrines and elegant churches overlooking small squares. A visit to the Palazzi dei Rolli, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is not to be missed: sumptuous residences that restore in part the atmosphere that you would have breathed in Genoa between in the 16th and 17th centuries. Modernity is just a few steps away, in the places given back to locals and visitors by renovations and major urban renewals.

Genoa is 23 miles from Lavagna.