Top 8 Castles around Grondona

In Torre degli Alberi, a small panoramic hamlet of the municipality of Colli Verdi in Oltrepò Pavese, the main church is the Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria.

The castle of Borgo Adorno was a fiefdom of the Genoese Spinola family until 1518, the year in which Tolomeo Spinola remained without legitimate children and appointed the children of his friend Agostino Adorno as his heirs.

Whether you choose to climb from the parking lot below the castle (moderate difficulty, about 40 minutes on a well-marked path, steps, and a walkway) or follow the "Castellani's Path" from Vobbia (about two hours, including stops), the arrival near the castle is breathtaking! Spectacular, simply! This view is worth the effort (by car) to reach the tiny village of Vobbia, which, however, is located in an area rich in natural beauty! For information, visit this wonderful website: https://www.parcoantola.it/pagina.php?id=47

departure from Dario's bar (unfortunately we didn't meet him but the guy there was simply very kind) and collection of credentials

An interesting route in the upper Curone Valley is the one that leads to the walled remains of the Brusamonica Castle, a small town about two kilometers from Caldirola. The castle, built on the crest of the mountains above Caldirola, dates back to the feudal era; although it has lost its ancient splendor over time, it still retains a certain charm, if only for its uncertain and mysterious origin. A legend tells that before the castle there was a convent in the same place, probably founded by the monastery of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro of Pavia and destroyed during a night of battle and looting (perhaps by Saracen troops) in the 9th century. This, like any good legend, is not confirmed by historical documents, even if even today the inhabitants of Caldirola, referring to the town of Brusamonica, are accustomed to using the term "convent". Contradictions aside, this castle, with a slope that extended up to Val Borbera and now collapsed, represents an important and concrete historical monument that can today become a destination for pleasant walks.

Symbol of Arquata, it is located on a hill overlooking the valley, it is approximately 22 meters high and built in Montaldero stone. It was part of the Castle, of which a few ruins of the mighty walls that sloped down from the hill and surrounded the old village and part of the walls of the keep that surrounded it are still visible. The Castle of Arquata had considerable strategic importance, so much so that it was disputed between many cities, but above all by Genoa and Tortona. But when Tortona managed to definitively take over the village of Arquata, purchasing it in 1244, a condition of stability was reached. The castle was rebuilt with the elevation of a tower and a new village at the base of the hill, close to the ancient Via Postumia, all surrounded by defense walls. As time passes, the strategic importance of the castle with its tower diminishes, and as it is a predominantly military structure, it is gradually abandoned. As the centuries passed, the old, increasingly dilapidated tower was struck by lightning which made its static nature even worse. In fact, on the morning of October 29, 1933, lightning struck part of the eastern corner, throwing large stones a great distance away.

With the eMTB, it is difficult to reach the site of the remains of the Castle. The path is narrow, steep and in some places there are rocks that block pedaling. Better to go up from Mount Gropà with the eMTB.

In the late Middle Ages, the village was a fiefdom of the Genoese Spinola family until 1518, who built the castle in 1100. In 1518 Tolomeo Spinola was left without heirs and passed as an inheritance to his friend Agostino Adorno, of the Genoese Adorno family. In the 17th century the castle suffered serious damage following a landslide and shortly afterwards the current Botta Adorno castle and stately palace was built in its elegant style, still privately owned. The castle has an elegant Baroque style portal and a chapel dedicated to Saint Caterina Fieschi Adorno, great-granddaughter of Pope Innocent IV and wife of Giuliano Adorno, who lived between the 15th and 16th centuries.