Discover Calice Ligure

When comparing hotels in Calice Ligure, your planned focus for the stay can be a practical guide: four municipal themed trails, historic buildings, and an annual September festival offer different points of interest. The trails have distinct focuses—from culture and landscape to engaging several senses.

Four themed trails, each with its own character

The municipal project “A spasso per Calice Ligure” offers four themed trails. The route network starts in Piazza Cesio, where you will find an information point with a notice board and tactile map. Via del Beo is the main route; special signage and protective features make it fully accessible to blind and visually impaired visitors. As physical conditions can change, check the trail conditions locally before setting out.

The Percorso Cultura is an easy walking route with historical, cultural, and scenic character. The Percorso Natura is a nature walk for observing the environment and agricultural land, and has a higher level of difficulty. The two options therefore differ both in theme and in the level of challenge described. The Percorso Sensoriale has a different focus: it engages the senses of touch, smell, and hearing, as well as proprioception—the perception of the body’s position and movement.

A route register published in the Bollettino Ufficiale della Regione Liguria on 14 August 2024 also lists distances for other named routes. “Calice - Eze - Madonna della Guardia” is listed as 3,396 metres, “Calice - C.Gariglio - S.Rocco” as 2,408 metres, and the “Anello di Canto e Cascate rio Carbuta” as 2,311 metres. The route “Carbuta - S.Martino - Madonna delle Grazie - Strada di Colla S. Giacomo - Rif. Siri - AVML presso colle Cravarezza” is listed at 6,684 metres. These figures provide a concrete comparison of the stated route distances.

Churches, bridges, and art history

The history of the buildings can also be seen in several specific examples. The parish church of San Nicolò was built in the 17th century on the remains of a 13th-century structure. The chapel of Santa Liberata dates from 1550 and was restored in the 18th century. The documented features of the church of San Sebastiano include three naves, a quadrangular apse, and a Renaissance portal.

At Mordeglia, between the church of San Sebastiano and Calice, lie the remains of the multi-arched Pons-Paule bridge, built from large hewn blocks. Its origins are thought to be Roman; this attribution is linked to its location along the original route of the Via Julia Augusta. The central section of the “strada vecchia per Eze” is also part of local history: it is protected as immovable cultural property, with the protection measure dating from 2015.

Casa del Console is a public villa dating from the early 19th century. It preserves the historical memory of the artists’ colony in Calice Ligure shaped by Emilio Scanavino. Its “Cartoline d’Autore” collection includes around one hundred small-format works that came out of a competition announced by the municipality in 1980. The villa, churches, and bridge remains thus offer different insights into architecture, art, and historic routes.

Landscape, agriculture, and the Festa di Settembre

The Pora stream created a flat alluvial plain around Calice. This soil made intensive irrigated cultivation possible. The Barbarossa grape variety is also part of local agricultural history: it was grown in Calice and has now almost disappeared.

A recurring event in the annual calendar is the Festa di Settembre. Held every year in September at the end of the summer season, it features food and craft stalls from Liguria and southern Piedmont. Boneless, breaded, fried rabbit is considered the festival’s traditional dish. If you are planning your trip around the festival, check the dates in advance.

Travel planning

TPL route 35 connects Calice Ligure with Finale Ligure. As public transport routes can change, it is advisable to check the current timetable for your trip. You can then plan around your preferred themed trails, the town’s history, or a possible visit in September.

Discover more destinations: Vellego, Dogli, Millesimo, Pallare, Capitolo-costa, Rialto, Celle Ligure, Vezzi San Giorgio.

For the broader travel overview: Savona.