Santo Stefano d'Aveto ( lij, San Stê) 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 ...

Santo Stefano d'Aveto borders the comuni of Bedonia,

Borzonasca Borzonasca is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria, located about east of Genoa. Borzonasca borders the following municipalities: Mezzanego, Ne, Rezzoaglio, San Colombano Certénoli, Santo ...

Ferriere Ferriere ( lij, E Ferrër; Piacentino: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about west of Bologna and about southwest of Piacenza, in the Val Nure of the Ligurian Apennines. ...

Rezzoaglio Rezzoaglio ( lij, Rezzoagi, locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa in the Italian region Liguria. Rezzoaglio borders the following municipalities: Borzonasca, Favale di Malvaro, Ferriere, Fontanigorda, Lorsic ...

and

Tornolo Tornolo ( lij, Tùrneru; Parmigiano: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Parma in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about west of Bologna and about southwest of Parma. Tornolo borders the following municipalities: Alba ...

Geography

Santo Stefano d'Aveto is about northeast 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 ...

, in the Val d'Aveto, near the Aveto river. The town is part of the Comunità montana Valli Aveto, Graveglia e Sturla, and is one of five

n towns in the

Aveto Natural Regional Park The Aveto Natural Regional Park is a natural park in Metropolitan City of Genoa, in the Liguria region of northern Italy). It was established in 1995. Geography Situated in the inland of the Tigullio area, Aveto Natural Regional Park protects o ...

History

The town was likely founded during

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

times, and the first mention of this town was during the 2nd century BC, where at the foot of Monte Penna a battle between the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and Ligurians took place. In the 12th century AD,

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...

conferred the fief of Santo Stefano d'Aveto upon the

Malaspina family The House of Malaspina was a noble Italian family of Longobard origin that descended from Boniface I, Margrave of Tuscany, Boniface I, through the Obertenghi line, that ruled Lunigiana from the 13th to the 14th centuries, and the Province of Massa ...

, who then constructed the ponderous castle. The fief were then passed on to the

Fieschi The Fieschi were a noble merchant family from Genoa, Italy, from whom descend the Fieschi Ravaschieri Princes of Belmonte. Of ancient origin, they took their name from the progenitor ''Ugo Fliscus'', descendants of the counts of Lavagna. The fami ...

family and later to the

Doria Doria or Dória may refer to: People Surname * Doria (family), a prominent Genoese family ** Andrea Doria (1466–1560), Genoese admiral ** Ansaldo Doria, 12th century Genoese statesman and commander ** Brancaleone Doria (died c. 1409?), husband ...

family, all related by an elaborate intermarriage network of noble families.

Main sights

*Malaspina Castle (13th century), currently in ruin, but undergoing limited restoration. The castle is located off the central

piazza A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

of the town, and features a highly irregular

polygonal In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two tog ...

base. *The sanctuary of the

Our Lady of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...

is the town church, on the grounds of which is found the town cemetery. Among the relics it holds is a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

medallion of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

mounted on the main door. The present church was founded in 1929.

Mountains

Monte Maggiorasca Monte Maggiorasca is a mountain on the border between Liguria and Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Geography The mountain is the highest peak (1,799 m) of the Ligurian Apennines. It overlookVal d'Aveto and Val Nure, and the ''comuni'' ...

(1,799 m) *Monte Bue (1,777 m) *

Monte Penna Monte Penna is a mountain (1,735 m) on the border between Liguria and Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, part of the Ligurian Apennines. It is included in the Natural Regional Park of the Aveto, and overlooks the Val di Taro; the sources of bot ...

(1,735) *Monte Tomarlo (1,602 m) *Groppo Rosso (1,594 m)

Cultural events

*First Sunday after

Ferragosto Ferragosto is a public holiday celebrated on August 15th in all of Italy. It originates from Feriae Augusti, the festival of emperor Augustus, who made the 1st of August a day of rest after weeks of hard work on the agricultural sector. It becam ...

(15 August): Patron Saint feast "Madonna di Guadalupe" *2 September: Fair of

St. Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

*5 October: Fair of St. Francis

Economy

Tourism

The town was given the honor of "Orange Flag" in 2006 by the

Italian Touring Club 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 ...

, a symbol of superior quality for tourism, and awarded only to smaller inland communities to distinguish these towns for excellence and hospitality. The town is best known as a launch site for

trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain h ...

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

horse riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, Driving (horse), driving, and Equestrian vaulting, vaulting ...

, and

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

. The local mountains are a favorite destination for recreational skiing.

Food

San Stè cheese

"San Stè" is a traditional

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

made in this town. This cheese is a far cry from the mass-produced confections found in the grocery store. It is produced by a small collection of families, and made in the identical fashion for centuries. The cheese itself is produced from unpasteurized

bovine Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship betwee ...

whole milk principally from the Bruno-alpina or Cabannina cattle races, coagulated with

veal Veal is the meat of calves, in contrast to the beef from older cattle. Veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, however most veal comes from young male calves of dairy breeds which are not used for breeding. Generally, v ...

rennet Rennet () is a complex set of enzymes produced in the stomachs of ruminant mammals. Chymosin, its key component, is a protease enzyme that curdles the casein in milk. In addition to chymosin, rennet contains other enzymes, such as pepsin and a ...

, either in paste or powder form, at about , mixing for 35 minutes, breaking apart large curds until the mixture is curdled to the size of rice. Salt is also added to the curd. The mixture is then placed in a round form measuring high and in diameter. The cheese in this form weighs about . The crust is thin, elastic, compact, and edible. Inside, the cheese has a yellowish color like

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

. After aging for about two months, the cheese is ready for the table, and provides a delicate flavor, slightly bitter, becoming more intense with greater aging.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans. The standard for the na ...

, gathered in the wild, are a very popular delicacy of the town. There exists a long-standing tradition among the men in the town to hunt and gather mushrooms, but to never reveal the source. This tradition, however, has received the attention of the government, and the gathering of mushrooms is now strictly regulated.

Transport

Santo Stefano d'Aveto is served by Strada Provinciale 654 della Val di Nure (SP-654), which connects it to

. The town is not directly reachable by

autostrada The Autostrade (; singular ) are roads forming the Italian national system of motorways. The total length of the system is about . In North and Central Italy, the Autostrade mainly consists of tollways managed by Autostrade per l'Italia, a ho ...

, or major highway. Another prominent use of the local, winding roads is the Val d'Aveto Rally, featuring automobile races annually since 1975. The nearest train station to the North is located in

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

; the nearest train station to the south is located in

Chiavari Chiavari (; lij, Ciävai ) is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, in Italy. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is situated near the river Entella. History Pre-Roman and Roman Era A pre-Roman necropolis, which dates f ...

. Public buses provide transport from the latter to Santo Stefano d'Aveto.

Notable people

Luigi Fugazy Luigi V. Fugazzi (April 30, 1839 – August 6, 1930; anglicized as Fugazy), nicknamed Papa Fugazy, was an Italian American banker, businessman, and philanthropist who became one of the most prominent in the United States. He emigrated to the U ...

(1839–1930), banker and philanthropist