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AREA:
3 sq km.
POPULATION:
1,256 HEIGHT
FROM SEA LEVEL (m): 66 WEB
SITE:
www.cervo.com |
Situated
in the Steria Valley, Cervo is one of the most charming places on the
Ligurian coast. Stone fragments found near the church of San Nicola
confirm that the town is of Roman origin. It was a stronghold for the
control of the coastal road and later became part of the feudal estate of
the Clavesana family until the thirteenth century and then passed under
Genoese dominion two centuries later.
In the old town centre, many houses have sculpted portals and traces of
ancient porticoes on the façade. The castle houses the Western Riviera
Museum of Ethnography. The bulwark was added to the defence system with
towers along the walls and coast in the sixteenth century.
The church of San Giovanni Battista, known as the "church of the
corals" because it was built thanks to the donations of the coral
fishermen (an activity that died out after the great storm in 1720), is a
grandiose example of Ligurian Baroque architecture built by the Imperia
architect Giambattista Marvaldi. The interior holds many important works
of art, including a wooden crucifix by Maragliano. The octagonal church of
San Nicola has been reconstructed on a number of occasions: it was once
the ancient parish church of San Giorgio di Cappadocia, a cult imported
from the east during the crusades. In the lower part (1784) of the
fortified church of the castle there was a hospice for the poor and
pilgrims dedicated to Sant'Antonio Abate by the Knights of Malta. The
oratory of Santa Caterina (perhaps from the thirteenth century) was also
built at the behest of an order of Knights.
Among the important buildings is one built in the eighteenth century by
Falcone Morchio, senator of the Republic of Genoa, which is now the town
hall.
The important International Festival of Chamber Music has been held in the
town for the past thirty-seven years. You can leave from here to go for a
stroll along the path leading to the Ciappà pine wood.
Together with its excellent Vermentino wine, Cervo is known for the many
local dishes made with olive paste.
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