Millesimo – Medieval Town Centre and Bric Tana

Millesimo combines a medieval town centre with the landscape of Bric Tana Regional Park. If you are looking for a hotel in Millesimo, the town’s buildings and paths can help you decide what to focus on during your stay. Historic walls, a distinctive arrangement of buildings and notable architecture shape the town centre; in the park, the focus is on wooded hills, karst features and circular trails.

Medieval Structures and Buildings

Millesimo’s Centro Storico is triangular in shape. The castle stands at its tip, while the Palazzo dei Del Carretto forms its base. Traces of medieval walls, with towers and four entrance gates, are also clearly visible in the town centre. The shape of the historic centre and the surviving stretches of wall give the town a clearly recognisable architectural structure.

Il Castello del Carretto was built by Enrico II to defend the settlement. Its oldest parts include the stone tower, the keep and the east wall; they date from the second half of the 13th century. Another historic landmark is the Ponte della Gaietta, also known as the “ponte vecchio”. It is one of the few fortified bridges in Italy.

S. Maria Extra Muros also has distinctive architectural features: the Romanesque basilica dates from the 12th century and has three naves. Its five-storey bell tower was built in the 15th century. Inside are an ornate baptismal font dating from the church’s construction and Gothic-style frescoes. The basilica thus brings together architectural elements from different centuries and artworks from its early history.

Villa Scarzella houses the Museo Napoleonico and a permanent exhibition about the people of the mountains, archaeology and anthropology in the Val Bormida area. It is also home to the visitor centre for Bric Tana and Valle dei Tre Re. The regional park’s centre presents its geological, archaeological and faunal features. The villa therefore combines exhibitions on local and regional history with information about the park’s themes.

Landscape and Trails in Bric Tana

Bric Tana Regional Park lies within the municipality of Millesimo. Its landscape includes wooded hills, small mammals and numerous karst features. Large sinkholes with caves, gorges and small blind valleys such as Valle dei Tre Re characterise the area. At Bric Tana, limestone pinnacles rise above the Bormida River; the small regional park also has surface and underground karst formations.

The trail network in the Millesimo park consists of three short and two long circular routes. Tana dell’Orpe is a stop on a circular route in the park; important Bronze Age finds have been discovered there. It is the area’s most important karst cave and has been explored over a total length of 373 metres. From Millesimo, the cave is easily reached on foot or by mountain bike via signposted trails in Bric Tana Regional Nature Park. Since trail conditions can change, it is advisable to check them before visiting.

Another archaeological feature is the Menhirs of Millesimo: three stones stand a few metres apart in a commanding position above the valley below. Together with the Bronze Age finds at Tana dell’Orpe, they give the park area an archaeological dimension as well. This creates a clear distinction when choosing a focus for your stay: the town centre highlights medieval architecture and sacred buildings, while Bric Tana combines karst landscapes, circular trails and archaeological sites.

Discover more destinations: Borghetto Santo Spirito, Borghi, Pianazzo, Villanova D'albenga, Magliolo, Albenga, San Pietro D'olba, Garlenda.

For the broader travel overview: Savona.