The village
Ancient and important fief of the Della Lengueglia’s Lords, typical village on the ridge, where a medieval town planning, with its longitudinal streets at different levels, connected by hallways with vaults and arches, generate a beautiful environment. The fourteenth-century parish church, located at the top and remodelled several times during the Baroque period, preserves a small porch of the original building. Beyond the hamlet, you arrive where in ancient times the market took place, the focal point of trade and life of the village. Nearby you can see the thirteenth-century church of Saint Peter, transformed into a fortress in the 15th century, to defend the village against Saracen raids: Inside, it displays a sandstone floor and an elegant semi-circular apse open by three external splaying single-lancet windows, showing architectural elements close to the Romanesque Lombard style.
The history
In 1049, Anselmo Quaranta, of the Lengueglia’s dynasty, received as a gift by the Marquises of Clavesana the lands that today host Lingueglietta. In doing so, the family decides to give the village their name. The first certain news about the village date back to 1100, when Vinguilia was established and developed as a village of rural history, becoming the focal point of all the events that involved the valley, managing to stay independent from Genoa over the time. 1284 is an important date because the village participates in the Meloria battle with over fifty sailors serving Genoa. In medieval times, piece by piece, the power of feudal lords break apart, going towards autonomy that will be reached in a short time. In the following centuries, it will follow the vicissitudes of the neighbouring villages, becoming a part of the Unification of Italy in 1861. Today, the village of Lingueglietta is presented to its visitors as renewed, with characteristic houses placed overhanging the valley, even though the classic Medieval structure has remained unchanged. The heart of civic life was the municipal lodge, positioned below the archivolt which still preserves the century-old stone measuring units, with which oil, wine and wheat were measured. The original village has developed around the castle and the medieval church. From the feudal period, the agglomerate of buildings made up of narrow alleys that rise and fall towards the surrounding countryside is still present, while for the castle of the feudal lords, only medieval ruins are visible.
