CASSANA

Piazza, Foce and Corneto

Cassana, part of Borghetto di Vara, is made of several scattered hamlets matching the old vici: la Chiesa, la Via, il Prato, il Forte, il Groppo, le Poggiole, la Valle, Piazza e Foce, Corneto, i Piani, i Ponticelli e il Castello. Corneto still has many features of the old settlement, the hamlet of Foce is enriched by the church of Saint Mary of the Assumption, also known as church of the Foce. The parish church of Saint Michael the Archangel in la Chiesa, dating back to the 16th century, is built upon a preexisting romanesque building.

It is also worth noting the oratory of Saint Roch in La Via. Coming from Mount Bardellone, before reaching Cassana and taking a detour towards the homonymous ridge, one could see the remains of an old Ligurian hill-fort. Via dei Monti used two main bypasses to reach Mount Bardellone from Val di Vara: the first one runs along the ridge of Mount Pistone, the second one runs upstream the Cassana river and used to have several bridges, now destroyed. This latter path was used more recently than the former and was outfitted by the Republic of Genoa with a cobblestone path with wide turns to facilitate trade.

The mule track unfortunately suffered serious damage following the flood that happened on 25 October 2011. Starting from Cassana, facing Borghetto di Vara, the pathway ran through Corneto, la Chiesa and ran down until the 14th century village of Borghetto.

Foce, front of the Church of Saint Mary of the Assumption

Foce, front of the Church of Saint Mary of the Assumption

Chiesa, interior of the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel

Chiesa, interior of the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel

Detail of the Via dei Monti in the locality of La Chiesa

Detail of the Via dei Monti in the locality of La Chiesa

Detail of the Corneto alleyway

Detail of the Corneto alleyway