Via dei Monti or de Pontremolo, here also known as Via di Levanto, favored the economic development of the Rossano valley for centuries, following ancient sheep tracks and mule tracks (or transhumance roads) already in use in prehistoric times due to the presence of Ligurian tribes which here have left archaeological remains and a unique toponymy. According to numerous historians the toponym Rossano derives from ancient naturalistic divinities (Rubacotius, Rubacaustus, Rubacasco, Robeoni); the same was first transformed into “Roggiano” and then into “Rossano”.
Valle is the arrival and departure point of Via dei Monti in the direction of Val di Vara. Inside the village are some archaic symbols mixed with more recent ones that recall the coexistence of several cultures, in some cases mixed with each other. There also is a “house with courtyard” called Castle and two ancient bridges with a single arch.
Below the inhabited area, the site of Aravecchia recalls the presence of an ancient settlement; a short distance away, isolated in the fields, the church of San Giovanni Battista represents an important testimony of the roots of Christianity in the area.
In the villages of Chioso and Montelama there are examples of valuable rural buildings. In Paretola, halfway between Valle and Church, the small oratory of San Genesio bears witness to the profound religiosity of the local community. From here it is possible to reach Bosco, an ancient settlement in the narrow valley that dates back to the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri.
Typical of Rossano are pastoralism and agriculture with the breeding of the ancient breed of Zerasca sheep. In Rossano, the traditions and rites of the Ligurian highland populations survive, for example the Carnival and the “Canto del Maggio”.
