Uscio: Village of Clocks and Historic Walking Trails

Uscio offers plenty to explore on a trip that combines cultural history and hiking. Highlights include clockmaking, the Pieve di Sant'Ambrogio and trails leading from the ridge towards Fontanabuona.

Cultural history among tower clocks and churches

Uscio still bears the nickname “Village of Clocks”, associated with the “Roberto Trebino” company and the tower clock museum. The Museo diffuso dell'Orologio da Torre comprises five old clocks distributed across the municipality. The term “diffuso” suits this kind of collection: the clocks are not gathered in a single location. One is beside the Madonnetta along Via del Sale, on Via Costa Chiesa.

The history of the Pieve di Sant'Ambrogio dates back to its founding between the 6th and 7th centuries. The present building is an 11th-century Romanesque redesign. In 1893, a decision to build a new parish church was set to lead to the demolition of the old Pieve. Direct intervention by the Regional Office for the Preservation of Monuments, under the direction of architect Alfredo d'Andrade, prevented the demolition. The Pieve’s early founding, later Romanesque form and preservation in the 19th century can thus be distinguished chronologically.

Another facet of the area’s church history is the Chiesa di San Rocco e Sacro Cuore di Gesù. It was built in 1400 as a small chapel dedicated to Saint Roch. The church houses a painting of Saint Sebastian by Luca Cambiaso. Access is at ground level, with no architectural barriers. The church therefore offers both a specific art-historical reference and practical information about access.

Walking trails on different scales

The Via del Sale – Via del Mare follows historic routes once used to transport salt. It is a network of walking trails stretching from the Po Valley to the Portofino peninsula and passing through the Antola and Portofino parks. The route is divided into four stages, is 90 kilometres long and crosses the provinces of Pavia, Alessandria, Piacenza and Genoa. Its historical function, route and division into stages each provide a different point of reference: its former use, its broad geographical reach and its layout.

There is also specific information about trails in the Uscio countryside. Walking trails lead from the ridge through chestnut groves down towards Fontanabuona. The uphill walk from Uscio to Monte Tuggio takes about an hour on foot. This estimate can help with rough planning for a single ascent; by contrast, the Via del Sale – Via del Mare’s 90 kilometres and four stages describe the scale of a larger trail network. The information addresses different questions about timing and distance, without describing the same kind of hike.

Hiking della Pietra Nera is a non-competitive hiking event; its route follows trails in Uscio and Lumarzo. If you would like to plan your stay around an edition of the event, check the dates for that year. This lets you distinguish between a hike with an approximate time estimate, an extensive trail network and an event-related activity, while clockmaking and the churches offer a distinct cultural focus.

Discover more destinations: Gaiazza, Stibiveri, Castiglione Chiavarese, Torrazza, Tessi, Borzonasca, San Salvatore, Testana

For the wider travel overview: Genoa.