CASTELLO BALBI

The main allure of the present day Piovera Castle (Castello di Piovera) is the melding of the ancient with the modern. The defensive outpost characteristics, from the time of Charlemagne and medieval times, have physically mutated over the centuries, in particular between the 16th and 17th century when the castle was passed from Spain to the Balbi family of Genoa. Today, the castle is a rather striking structure: the wonderfully proportioned square layout has four cylindrical towers at each corner. Only one of these towers is original and through careful observation, you can see the high crenellation on the top. Besides a visit to the castle, the art workshops overseen by the Calvi Counts of Bergolo are also quite interesting.