Vobbia

A municipality in the Po valley of the Ligurian Apennines, it extends into the valley formed by the stream of the same name. Its name probably derives from "Vo' Beia", meaning "on the stream". The village developed in the Middle Ages, thanks to one of the Vie del Sale (Salt Roads), the one known as the 'Imperial Feuds', which reached Lombardy from Genoa. The valley is dominated by the spectacular Castello della Pietra, the construction of which is perhaps due to the Bishops of Tortona who dominated the entire area before 1000. A bold example of castle architecture, it is wedged between two rocky spires and was recently restored by the Province of Genoa. Worthy of note is the hamlet of Vallenzona with the church of S. Maria Assunta, mentioned as early as 1253 in a dispute between Bicca and Opizzone della Pietra, with a peculiar mosaic-paved churchyard. The aforementioned hamlet is also part of the Antola Regional Natural Park: one of the most enchanting areas of the Apennines and the Ligurian hinterland, thanks to the extraordinary panorama of the 1600 m Mount Antola and the activities of the nearby Brugneto Lake.