Spinetta: historic routes and culture in Val Bormida

Historic traces in Spinetta

Spinetta is referred to as “la Spina dei Templari.” Your historical orientation begins at the Crocicchio della Spinetta: the site was one of three strategic toll-collection and customs points on an important public road. The “rosa” of Saliceto, known as the Castelvecchio hill, was connected to the Crocicchio. Anyone wishing to understand Spinetta will find several interconnected references here to routes, crossings, and regional history.

Bormida Gotica and Cosseria

The regional perspective extends to Cosseria and the Bormida Gotica project. Cosseria is one of the 24 municipalities in this project. Bormida Gotica brings together the medieval architectural and historical-artistic heritage along the area crossed by the Bormida. In Cosseria, the medieval Castello di Cosseria is also now a ruin; it was once the center of a small feudal jurisdiction. For visitors interested in culture, the history of individual buildings is linked here with the historical and architectural heritage along the Bormida.

Reading the historic route

A historic route places Spinetta within a longer connection. It led down from Cosseria to Cruce Ferrea and reached Spinetta. At Spinetta, it crossed the public road leading from Ceva to the Colle di Cadibona. The route then continued to the Abbazia dei Fornelli and climbed to the Colla di San Giacomo at an elevation of 796 m. For your planning, this sequence is interesting as a historical route narrative: it shows how individual places and crossings are related to one another in the regional tradition. As a historical route narrative, this sequence includes the descent from Cosseria, the crossing at Spinetta, and the ascent to the Colla di San Giacomo at 796 m.

Cycling culture between Luciano and Val Bormida

Cycling is also specifically represented in the municipal context of Cosseria. The Museo della Bicicletta in Cosseria displays a collection of racing bicycles from 1890 to 1960. The Museo della Bicicletta team organized cycling days and cycling weekends on the roads of Luciano. In Cosseria, MTB excursions lead through a network of paths into the forests of Val Bormida. For a stay focused on cycling, you can distinguish several cycling-related aspects in Cosseria: the history of road racing at the museum and MTB excursions into the forests of Val Bormida.

Forests, meadows, and birdlife

The landscape also includes Tenuta Quassolo. It is significant because of the transitions between forests, meadows, and agricultural land that are important for birdlife, and it includes a well-preserved mixed high forest of oaks, in places with Scots pine. For those interested in nature, this creates a central area of focus that connects open cultivated areas with forest.

Further destinations for your travel planning: Vellego, Magliolo, Zuccarello, Ceriale, Varigotti, Gorra, Pianazzo, Palo-pataré.

For the overall travel overview: Savona.