Finalborgo

Finalborgo was founded around the turn of the 12th to the 13th century by Marquis Enrico II Del Carretto, on the plain where the Aquila and Pora streams meet, at the foot of Becchignolo hill. It is first recorded in 1213 as "Burgus Finarii". In May 1450 the Genoese captured the town and pulled down its walls; Giovanni I Del Carretto had them rebuilt a few months later, with three gates. The Porta Testa bears the date 1452. The octagonal bell tower of San Biagio stands on the site of an earlier defensive tower.

Worth seeing are the Teatro Aycardi (1804–1806), the 16th-century Ricci and Cavassola palaces, and the Dominican convent of Santa Caterina (founded 1359), which houses the Finale Archaeological Museum. One to two hours is enough for a stroll round. Leave your vehicle outside the walls and walk in.

Finalborgo also has the Castel San Giovanni, a fortress from the 1640s built on the remains of a 15th-century tower. The façade of the Palazzo del Tribunale, the former seat of the Del Carretto administration, shows 15th-century painted decoration. The surrounding countryside is popular with mountain bikers, and “testa in cassetta”, a cold cut, is a local speciality.