Pigna

Pigna is one of the most important towns in the Nervia Valley. It takes its name from the conifer forest that once surrounded the town and is situated beneath the "little Dolomites", the highest peaks in the Ligurian Pre-Alps: Monte Toraggio (1973 m.) and Monte Pietravecchia (2040 m.)

Prehistoric finds in Marellae, in the Giacheira grotto, and in other places testify to human settlement in the area about 60,000 years ago. From the thirteenth century, the fortified town belonged to the Ventimiglia nobility but it later passed into the hands of the counts of Provence (beginning in the county of Nice) and of Genoa. In the middle of the seventeenth century, it became part of the Savoy estate. The old town area is distinguished by the "chibi", little alleyways that are laid out in concentric circles around the houses.

All that remains of the mediaeval castle is the loggia in Piazza Vecchia, which connected it with the parish church of San Michele (fifteenth century). There is a remarkable rosace on the façade sculpted by Gaggini in 1450 and showing the twelve apostles on the stained glass. Also remarkable is the poliptych in the interior by Giovanni Canavesio (1500), who also painted the cycle of frescoes (1482) showing the Passion of Christ and Judgement Day in the chapel of San Bernardino.

The church of San Tommaso was the largest Romanesque church in the whole valley: all that remains of it are parts of the steep-arched wall and parts of the two apses. There are fifteen chapels lying along the road leading to the church of the Madonna del Passoscio (twelfth century), where you can admire a seventeenth-century painting by Maratta. Another road leads you to the rural district of Buggio (from "bucinos", meaning "calf"). Legend has it that it was founded in the twelfth century by three thieves who had escaped from Provence.

The Lake Pigo thermal springs and the "Intemelia festival of poetry and drama" attract many visitors. Pigna is one of the largest producers of mimosa in the world: the flower is also used for making cosmetics. The typical local dishes are crushed parmesan and lamb chops.