Casanova: Discover Churches and Routes

During a stay in Casanova, you can explore sacred architectural history, a route along the Diamante and the story of a particular event as different facets of the area. Santa Margherita offers several dated points of reference; San Lorenzo and an oratory add to the picture of the religious heritage. When preparing your trip, distinguishing between local history, route information and a historical event can help you organize your interests.

The architectural history of Santa Margherita

A will dated January 26, 1212, recorded Simone Doria’s bequest to the church of Santa Margherita in Casanova. In 1600, the church was expanded to include a presbytery and choir while retaining a single nave. These two dates offer different insights: the will tells of a donation, while the expansion describes the architectural development of the church interior.

The furnishings can also be placed in a historical context. Santa Margherita has five altars, three of which are made of marble. The present high altar was newly created in 1714. On June 22, 1980, the church reopened for worship after consolidation and interior work. This gives a sequence of the expansion of the church interior, the creation of the high altar and the reopening after the work.

If you are interested in architectural history, you can explore Santa Margherita through these different milestones rather than associating it with just one date. The information relates both to the space and its furnishings, as well as to the church’s later history.

San Lorenzo and the oratory

Another church-related site is the parish church of San Lorenzo in Località Casanova. It is listed among protected immovable cultural properties. The 15th-century oratory in Casanova houses the oldest organ in the valley.

Different themes therefore sit side by side: Santa Margherita is notable for its architectural and furnishings history, San Lorenzo for its protected status, and the oratory for its age and organ. This gives you more than one way to explore Casanova’s religious heritage as you plan your trip. You can consider each place from the aspect that interests you most, without combining the different details into a single history.

A route along the Diamante

A route along the main ridge of the Diamante runs between Casanova and Trensasco via the Spianata of “Campanin di Croi.” Ancient snow houses can be seen along the route. The description thus combines a specific course with named landscape features.

If you would like to include routes and their surroundings in your plans alongside churches, this is a separate point of interest. The route description names both places, as well as the Spianata and the snow houses; these details give it a different focus from the architectural history of Santa Margherita. When planning your trip, you can distinguish between a main interest in sacred architecture and one in the route along the main ridge.

MangiaForte 2017 as a historical episode

An event is also associated with Casanova: MangiaForte 2017 included a seven-kilometer course divided into five stages. The finish was at the Casanova sports field. At that edition, grilled asado, polenta and a dessert were served there.

The year places these details in the context of a specific historical edition. MangiaForte therefore adds the perspective of an event—with its course, stages and finish—to the themes of churches and landscape. For your selection, this is a different kind of information from the architectural history or route description: it presents a specific event setting without replacing the other themes.

Note about the old air-raid shelter

An old air-raid shelter is located below the church and slightly below the path to Località Mulini. Its interior is no longer accessible because it is dangerous. Bear this restriction in mind when planning your visit.

Discover more destinations: Campomorone, Campo Ligure, Neirone, Genoa, Valbrevenna, Chiàvari, Mortola, San Colombano.

Go to the broader travel overview: Genoa.