Finalborgo

Finalborgo sits about a kilometre inland from the beach at Finale Ligure, a compact walled town of the Del Carretto marquises with slate-framed doorways, a Gothic basilica and two ruined castles above. The cliffs behind it are Finale stone, a pale limestone that erodes into overhangs, pockets and tufa, and from the 1970s climbers developed thousands of routes across the valleys, making Finale one of the earliest and largest sport climbing areas in Europe. Mountain biking followed on the same network of old mule tracks. Caves in the same rock produced important Palaeolithic finds, held in the town museum.

Highlights

• The walled borgo - an intact medieval town of slate-framed doorways.
• The climbing cliffs - thousands of routes on pocketed limestone.
• The mule-track trails - old paths now used for mountain biking.
• The cave finds - Palaeolithic material in the local museum.

When to go

April to June and September to November; the climbing and biking seasons avoid summer heat, and the town is quieter than the beach in front. Winter is mild but wet.

What to expect

The borgo is small and seen in an hour. Climbing areas require a car and a guidebook. The beach town in front is developed and busy in summer.

Nearby

Toirano's caves lie east; the coast is a kilometre away.

Key facts