The wonders of Perti Alta
Perti Alta, churches and castles
easy excursion
suitable for children
historical interest
↑160mt ↓160mt
3km
sea view
Starting from the village of Perti Alta, in front of the Church of Sant’Eusebio, along a dirt road almost at high altitude, you will find the suggestive Church of the 5 bell towers and the deconsecrated Chapel of S. Benedetto.
Then you reach the small hamlet of Case Valle.
From here you enter the wood via a path that starts near the first houses and begins to climb to reach the remains of the Castrum Perticae and the Church of Sant’Antonino.
A simple excursion, of about an hour and a half up and down, suitable for children, during which you have wonderful views of Finalborgo and the sea.
Click on the map to view the route on Google Maps.
The Church of Sant’Eusebio
Between the Pora Valley and the Aquila Valley stands the church of
Sant’Eusebio, dating back to the 11th century and subsequently remodeled with reconstruction in the 15th century.
The crypt from the Romanesque period is still visible today, with ribbed vaults supported by polygonal columns with rustic shaped capitals.
The polygonal layout of the apse that ends with the unique bell gable with Gothic
arches dates back to the late Middle Ages.
The cross-shaped decoration is made with polychrome majolica from Valencia,
the “azulejos”.
The Church of the 5 bell towers
The Church of the 5 bell towers takes its name from its particular structure.
Built around 1470, echoing Brunelleschi’s Florentine architectural models, it is one of the best expressions of Renaissance architecture in western Liguria.
Its position, the ease in photographing its particular roof with the slender spiers placed at the corners, the rural environment in which it is inserted and the sea in the distance, make it a postcard image of the Finale area.
A few meters later you will find the deconsecrated chapel of San Benedetto.
Castrum Perticae and the Church of Sant’Antonino
The Castrum Perticae was built in the second half of the 6th century AD, during the Byzantine domination of Liguria with the aim of defending itself from the Lombard invasion.
It consists of a wall with a walkway and a large multi-storey corner tower.
The grandeur of this fortification is still legible today.
A few steps from the Castrum, climbing a few meters further, you reach the Church of Sant’Antonino, a small 11th century Romanesque jewel.
A single room with a semicircular apse from which a small staircase leads to the crypt from which opens a very particular natural karst tunnel. The narrow windows through which beams of light enter ,make it extremely suggestive.
How to visit churches
The Church of Sant’Eusebio and the Church of the 5 Campanili can be visited during the archeotrekking excursions organized by the Archaeological Museum of Finalborgo, while the Church of Sant’Antonino is open. The utmost respect and education is recommended.
The Grotta dell' edera ( Ivy Cave )
With a short detour you reach the wonderful and unique Ivy Grotto, a cylinder about 25 meters high which culminates in two circular holes. A suggestive, enchanting, unique place, within which it is possible to climb.
By mountain bike
This itinerary is in part easily covered also by mountain bike, starting from Finalborgo in the direction of Calice and then going up to the right up to Perti Alta.
