The village
Listed among The Most Beautiful Villages of Italy, the village of Campo Ligure is set in an area of environmental value, between the Geopark of Beigua and that of the Huts of Marcarolo. The typical streets of the historic centre host the laboratories of filigree, of which the village is one of the main production centres in Europe, as attested by the traditional nationally recognized fair that takes place every year in September. The fulcrum of this ferment is the Museum of Filigree “Pietro Carlo Bosio” reopened in 2008, exhibiting over 200 artistic objects in gold and silver filigree, coming from all over the world, allowing to compare the different processing techniques of the raw material; the most important artefacts are those of Italian, Russian and Chinese origin. Among the buildings of historical and architectural interest, we can mention the baroque oratory of Saints Sebastian and Roch, the bridge of medieval origin and Palazzo Spinola, which presents an external decoration of modern times. The Castle, located on top of the village, was built in 1300 by the Spinola family, who, through family passages, controlled the fief the village was located in. Also near the ancient residential centre, we shall mention the Botanical Garden of Prato Rondanino, a protected area with remarkable examples of alpine and Apennine flora: orchids, edelweiss, lilies, are just some of the 400 species of mountain flora housed in the botanical garden, beside plants from all over the world, many of which are in danger of extinction.
The history
The toponym of the village dates back to 1884. Originally called Campo, Fredo was added in 1300. According to some interpretations this name could derive from the Germanic Frei, or free, and therefore not subjected to the domination of Genoa. It was later modified in Campo Freddo. The earliest sources attesting a human settlement in the territory of Campo Ligure were discovered during the construction of the Asti-Genoa railway line, which uncovered archaeological finds of daily use of Roman origin, preserved for their importance in the Archaeological Museum of Rome. History tells us that in the third century, Roman legions passing through this territory, under the guidance of Emperor Aurelian, camped to guard and cope with the first invasions of the Germanic peoples. The position, immediately considered strategic, has the climatic characteristic of being protected on three sides by streams Ponzema, Stura, Langassino, and closed behind by the rock on which later the castle and the watchtower were erected. Feudal domain of Boniface Del Vasto, under the Lombard influence of the tenth century, the first parish church, dedicated to Saint Michal Archangel, protector of the Lombards, was built. During the medieval period, it became the domain of many noble families. The last one was the Del Bosco family, who, in 1217, ceded the fief to the Republic of Genoa. With a royal diploma, in 1329 Luis IV, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, assigned the fief of Campo Ligure to the noble Spinola di Luccoli family, who enlarged and further strengthened the pre-existing castle. In the modern era, the first rebellions of the citizens of the village against the Spinola family began, culminating in 1600 when the Republic of Genoa sent mercenary Corsican troops to burn and plunder the village; a part of the fiefdom was thus sold to the Republic. With Napoleon, the Ligurian feuds passed to the Ligurian Republic, to the Kingdom of Sardinia and finally to the Kingdom of Italy.
