The name of this town, which is situated at the confluence of the Giara di Rezzo and Arroscia rivers, is composed of "Plebs" (community, church on which other rural churches depend) and "Theicos" (an ancient Celtic deity). Founded at the junction of many "salt roads" between Liguria and Piemont, the parish became the centre of the feudal organisation of the valley and, after passing into the hands of the Genoese in 1385, it was an outpost for defence against the Savoys. The castle and the town, which has preserved its slate portals and Gothic porticoes along the old market street, date back to 1232. The fifteenth-century church of Santa Maria della Ripa, with a Gothic bell tower and portal, was once the parish church, while the grandiose collegiate church of San Giovanni Battista, which was planned by Gaetano Canone and built in the early nineteenth century, preserves some precious works, including sculptures from the Maragliano school and paintings by Giulio Benso and Domenico Piola. Two works by Maragliano are also to be seen in the oratory of Santi Giovanni Battista e Sebastiano (1234).
Above the monastery of San Francesco (seventeenth century), which overlooks the town, you will find the large stretch of woodland called the Bosco dei Cappuccini, where you can see some centuries-old trees. The former Augustinian monastery is situated at the beginning of the road to Colle di Nava.
The old castle was destroyed in 1625 in the conflict between Genoa and the Savoys. Its place is now taken by the Augustinian monastery complex, now used as a civic theatre. All that remains of the manor house is a sixteenth-century black stone bas-relief. The town is the departure-point for numerous excursions along the ancient roads through the mountain passes towards the nearby Pennavaira and Tanara Valleys and towards the higher pasture lands. The main local products are superior-quality olive oil and Ormeasco wine. The traditional handicraft shoe-making trade is now dying out.
