Calice Ligure

Access

Calice Ligure can be easily reached from Finale Ligure, which is about 5 km away, connected by the provincial road . The motorway (Finale Ligure exit) is the main access route for those coming from Genoa or Savona. The nearest railway station is in Finale Ligure Marina, with frequent connections on the Genoa-Ventimiglia line; from there, suburban buses lead to the centre of Calice in a few minutes. Genoa's Cristoforo Colombo airport is approximately 70 km away and is connected by motorway and rail transport.

Introduction

Calice Ligure is a small municipality in the Savona hinterland, located in Liguria in a green basin crossed by the Carbuta and Pora streams, a few kilometres from Finale Ligure. Its territory, mainly hilly and nestled between wooded hills, preserves an identity linked as much to agricultural tradition as to contemporary art. This village, of medieval origins, combines the tranquillity of the Ligurian countryside with a cultural dynamism that makes it a vital centre of the Finale Ligure hinterland.

Description

Calice Ligure's position, at about 70 metres above sea level, determines its mild climate and its landscape characterised by olive groves, chestnut forests and small rural settlements. The town's history has its roots in the period of the Marquis Del Carretto of Savona, lords of the Marquisate of Finale, to whom it belonged until the 17th century. After the Spanish domination, it passed to the Republic of Genoa in 1713. Today, traces of the past are preserved in the parish church of San Nicolò, with its Baroque façade, in the Roman bridge of Pian dei Corsi along the Via Julia Augusta, and in the Napoleonic trenches scattered throughout the territory.
In the 1960s, Calice Ligure became a refuge for artists attracted by the painter Emilio Scanavino, who established his atelier here. A lively community of painters and sculptors formed around him, leaving behind a cultural legacy that today can be found in the 'Casa del Console' Museum of Contemporary Art. This link with art has transformed the village into a small avant-garde centre, while maintaining the simplicity of its rural origins.
The local economy is traditionally based on the cultivation of olive trees and vines, the production of honey and small-scale craftsmanship, which in recent years has been joined by a growing tourism linked to hiking and rock climbing. The territory of Calice is part of the Ligurian Excursion Network: paths connect the hamlets and go as far as the ridges overlooking Val Pora and Val Carbuta, with panoramic stretches reaching the crests of the Manie plateau. Numerous itineraries have recently been signposted and mapped to enhance hiking and mountain biking.

Information

Area: 19.77 km²
Centre altitude: 70 m above sea level.
Maximum elevation: Monte Alto 1,347 m
Number of inhabitants: 1,697 (2023)
Name in dialect: Calixe
Name of inhabitants: Calicesi
Patron saint: San Nicolò
Neighbouring municipalities: Finale Ligure, Orco Feglino, Tovo San Giacomo, Rialto, Mallare
Official site: www.comune.calice-ligure.sv.it