Campo Ligure (locally ) is a ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

Metropolitan City of Genoa The Metropolitan City of Genoa () is a metropolitan city in the region of Liguria in northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Genoa. It replaced the province of Genoa in 2015. It has 67 municipalities (''comuni) in'' an area of and a total p ...

in the Italian region

Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...

, located about northwest of

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

. Campo Ligure borders the following municipalities:

Bosio Bosio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Alessandria. Bosio borders the following municipalities: Campo Ligure, Campomorone, ...

Masone Masone ( or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about northwest of Genoa. Masone borders the following municipalities: Bosio, Campo Ligure, Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) ...

, Rossiglione, Tiglieto. It is one of

I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...

("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

Geography

It is located in the center of the intersection of the rivers Stura, Angassino and Ponzema, from

, and part of its territory to the west is within the boundaries of the Parco naturale regionale del Beigua, while in the east borders the Parco delle Capanne di Marcarolo.

History

The place name refers to a 3rd-century AD Roman fortified settlement built during the reign of Emperor

Aurelian Aurelian (; ; 9 September ) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 270 to 275 AD during the Crisis of the Third Century. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited the Roman Empire after it had nearly disinte ...

, reinforced by the Byzantines in the 6th century. The first parish, San Michele, is probably dating back to the 10th century. Between the 12th and 13th century various families led the administration of Campo, until the year 1329, when it becomes a small fief within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, surrounded by the territory of the Republic of Genoa. In July 1600 the Republic of Genoa increased control of the small enclave, banishing any local opposition to its rule. In the 18th century the town saw a gradual buildup of manufacturing activities (iron production and processing, silk spinning mills, paper mills, lime pits, forestry and agriculture), as well as the birth of the republican municipality, which joined the Ligurian Republic in 1797. In 1805 the town, then called Campo Freddo, was included in the French Empire of Napoleon I; after the 1815 Congress of Vienna it became part of the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica among other names, was a State (polity), country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid-19th century, and from 1297 to 1768 for the Corsican part of ...

. In 1884 the village's name was changed from Campo Freddo (derived from “feudo” -fief- or possibly the German word “frei” -free- ) to Campo Ligure. That year also saw the opening of the first goldsmith shop dedicated to filigree.

Economy

The country's economic activity is mainly connected to the processing of '' filigrana'' and crafts and the textile industry and mechanical engineering. The ''filigrana'' (

filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, m ...

) is very fine gold and silver threads, hand crafted using simple pliers (the “bruscelle”) and a welding torch: filigree is the centerpiece of typical Campo Ligure craft. The first shop was opened in 1884; then in a short span of time the town became the national center for this precious artistic production.

Twin towns — sister cities

Campo Ligure is twinned with: * Corbelin, France (2010)

Events

*" Festa patronale di santa Maria Maddalena" on the Sunday following July 22 *"Mostra della filigrana", in months August e September

Main sights

*Castle, built by the

Spinola family The House of Spinola, or Spinola family, is a Genoese noble family which played a leading role in the Republic of Genoa. Their influence was at its greatest extent in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Notable members Guido Spinola was ...

of Genoa since 1309 *Palazzo Spinola. Built in the 14th century, it was enlarged in 1693 *Medieval bridge on the Stura river. The original structure dated to the 9th century, but it was rebuilt several times starting from the 18th century. *Oratory of ''Nostra Signora Assunta'', in Baroque style *Parish church (18th century), in Baroque style * Giardino Botanico Montano di Pratorondanino * Monte Pracaban

References

External links

Official website
Cities and towns in Liguria Borghi più belli d'Italia {{Liguria-geo-stub