カッロージオの洞窟・トップ4

departure from Dario's bar (unfortunately we didn't meet him but the guy there was simply very kind) and collection of credentials

Castle with a turret and it is the element that immediately stands out. Perfectly renovated together with the surrounding mansions, it is a distinctive feature. American families who choose Borlasca for its tranquility and seek privacy often spend the summer there. But the trait d'union is evident, because it is a piece, the most recent, of a well-known story. On the website of the Isola del Cantone Cultural Center it is said that Giorgio Ruggerone wrote a book about Borlasca, published posthumously. The chapter on emigrants is of particular interest for obtaining some information on the castle with the turret: it is owned by the family of Angelo Sangiacomo, son of Domenico, a successful Californian entrepreneur.

https://www.ilsecoloxix.it/liguria/2023/07/16/news/borlasca_un_borgo_nei_boschi_amato_dagli_americani-12944015/

Symbol of Arquata, it is located on a hill overlooking the valley, it is approximately 22 meters high and built in Montaldero stone. It was part of the Castle, of which a few ruins of the mighty walls that sloped down from the hill and surrounded the old village and part of the walls of the keep that surrounded it are still visible. The Castle of Arquata had considerable strategic importance, so much so that it was disputed between many cities, but above all by Genoa and Tortona. But when Tortona managed to definitively take over the village of Arquata, purchasing it in 1244, a condition of stability was reached. The castle was rebuilt with the elevation of a tower and a new village at the base of the hill, close to the ancient Via Postumia, all surrounded by defense walls. As time passes, the strategic importance of the castle with its tower diminishes, and as it is a predominantly military structure, it is gradually abandoned. As the centuries passed, the old, increasingly dilapidated tower was struck by lightning which made its static nature even worse. In fact, on the morning of October 29, 1933, lightning struck part of the eastern corner, throwing large stones a great distance away.

The castle built on a 13th century fortification - is accessed via a steep climb starting from the small square where the ancient municipal building with loggia stood. Enfeoffed to the Doria family between the 14th and 16th centuries, the castle saw the succession of many families: Da Passano, Pallavicino, Serra, Spinola and Orsini Pio di Savoia. The guise in which it appears today dates back to the 18th century, when it was adapted by the Serra family into an elegant country residence. The castle, owned by the Doria family of Montaldeo since the beginning of the 19th century, has a complex structure in which the original structures survive, vestiges of previous use: the apparatus protruding on double brackets, the battlements and the configuration of the keep. One of the towers, which became an artist's studio in the last century and overlooks the surrounding landscape with large windows, offers a priceless view that sweeps over the Alpine chain, from Monviso to Monte Rosa, and over the Apennines, up to the Piacenza mountains

The castle of Lerma dates back in its fundamental structures to the end of the 15th century when the construction was carried out by Luca Spinola. The imposing castle building stands on a tufaceous rock overlooking the Piota river and preserves the ancient "ricetto" intact within the city walls, the first nucleus of the village which took the name of l'Herma.

The imposing building, which retains a structure with corner towers, has richly furnished interiors and interesting collections of ancient weapons. Even the foundations, built with abundance, enclose labyrinthine underground passages that lead to the prisons. The building is known in the area for the legendary presence of a ghost and as a place which, way back in 1528, saw the killing of the despotic Alessandrian feudal lord Cristoforo Trotti and his family.

The Tower, on a hill overlooking the valley, is a symbol of Arquata. It is 22 meters high and was built in Montaldero stone. It was once part of the castle, of which some ruins remain of the mighty walls that descended from the hill and surrounded the old village. The Castle of Arquata had considerable strategic importance and was disputed between Genoa and Tortona. It is not very well maintained, but still worth a visit, and can be admired even from the center of the small town.