Campo Ligure (locally ) is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) in the

Metropolitan City of Genoa The Metropolitan City of Genoa ( it, Città Metropolitana di Genova) is one of the fourteen Metropolitan cities of Italy, located in the region of Liguria. Its capital is the city of Genoa. It replaced the Province of Genoa. History It was first c ...

in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

, located about northwest of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

. Campo Ligure borders the following municipalities:

Bosio Bosio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin and about southeast of Alessandria. Bosio borders the following municipalities: Campo Ligure, Campomorone, Ca ...

Masone Masone ( or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about northwest of Genoa. Masone borders the following municipalities: Bosio, Campo Ligure, Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ...

, Rossiglione, Tiglieto.

Geography

It is located in the center of the intersection of the rivers

Stura Stura was a department of the French Consulate and of the First French Empire in present-day Italy. It was named after the river Stura di Demonte. It was formed in 1802, when the Subalpine Republic (formerly the mainland portion of the Kingd ...

, Angassino and Ponzema, from

, and part of its territory to the west is within the boundaries of the

Parco naturale regionale del Beigua The Beigua Natural Regional Park (in Italian ''Parco naturale regionale del Beigua'') is a natural park located in province of Savona and the Metropolitan City of Genoa, both in Liguria (Italy). It's the largest protected area of the region. It g ...

, while in the east borders the Parco delle Capanne di Marcarolo.

History

The place name refers to a 3rd-century AD Roman fortified settlement built during the reign of Emperor

Aurelian Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited t ...

, reinforced by the Byzantines in the 6th century. The first parish, San Michele, is probably dating back to the 10th century. Between the 12th and 13th century various families led the administration of Campo, until the year 1329, when it becomes a small fief within the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

, surrounded by the territory of the Republic of Genoa. In July 1600 the Republic of Genoa increased control of the small enclave, banishing any local opposition to its rule. In the 18th century the town saw a gradual buildup of manufacturing activities (iron production and processing, silk spinning mills, paper mills, lime pits, forestry and agriculture), as well as the birth of the republican municipality, which joined the

Ligurian Republic The Ligurian Republic ( it, Repubblica Ligure, lij, Repubbrica Ligure) was a French client republic formed by Napoleon on 14 June 1797. It consisted of the old Republic of Genoa, which covered most of the Ligurian region of Northwest Italy, and ...

in 1797. In 1805 the town, then called Campo Freddo, was included in the French Empire of Napoleon I; after the 1815 Congress of Vienna it became part of the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...

. In 1884 the village's name was changed from Campo Freddo (derived from “feudo” -fief- or possibly the German word “frei” -free- ) to Campo Ligure. That year also saw the opening of the first goldsmith shop dedicated to filigree.

Economy

The country's economic activity is mainly connected to the processing of '' filigrana'' and crafts and the textile industry and mechanical engineering. The ''filigrana'' (

filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, ma ...

) is very fine gold and silver threads, hand crafted using simple pliers (the “bruscelle”) and a welding torch: filigree is the centerpiece of typical Campo Ligure craft. The first shop was opened in 1884; then in a short span of time the town became the national center for this precious artistic production.

Twin towns — sister cities

Campo Ligure is twinned with: * Corbelin, France (2010)

Events

*" Festa patronale di santa Maria Maddalena" on the Sunday following July 22 *"Mostra della filigrana", in months August e September

Main sights

*Castle, built by the

Spinola family The House of Spinola, or Spinola family, was a leading Italian political family centered in the Republic of Genoa. Their influence was at its greatest extent in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Important members Guido Spinola was one o ...

of Genoa since 1309 *Palazzo Spinola. Built in the 14th century, it was enlarged in 1693 *Medieval bridge on the

river. The original structure dated to the 9th century, but it was rebuilt several times starting from the 18th century. *Oratory of ''Nostra Signora Assunta'', in Baroque style *Parish church (18th century), in Baroque style * Giardino Botanico Montano di Pratorondanino * Monte Pracaban

References

External links

Official website
Cities and towns in Liguria {{Liguria-geo-stub