This village, set between the Valle di Erro and Valle di Visone, has a truly distinctive atmosphere. Small and built in stone, it has lost three-quarters of its population over the past century, and today only about 260 people live here.

At 525 meters above sea level, it feels much higher, almost like a mountain settlement. Not by chance, it is part of the Comunità Montana Suol d’Aleramo.

The historic buildings—the arcades, the town hall, the medieval structures, the remains of the castle, the church, and the tower—together create the perfect backdrop for a film. The tower, remarkably well preserved, rises from a wide grassy clearing near the church.

A graceful wrought-iron spiral staircase leads to the tower’s only entrance, a small opening in the keep. Open to visitors, it is one of the oldest towers in the area, built at the end of the 12th century together with the castle, when the village was enclosed by two rings of defensive walls.

Under Malaspina rule, between the 14th and 15th centuries, a further wall was added.

From 996, by concession of Emperor Otto III of Saxony, the village belonged to the bishop of Acqui Terme. Thanks to the security offered by its castle, it became the setting for numerous important and strategic political meetings over the centuries.

A notable witness of the medieval period is the so-called Palazzo della Felicita, once a patrician residence and now used by the municipality for exhibitions, events, and festivities, many of which evoke the village’s medieval past.

The rural Church of San Lorenzo dates back to the late 12th century. On its apse, left unplastered, visitors can admire the fine squared stone blocks quarried locally, with which the entire church was built. Inside, traces of 15th-century frescoes are still visible.

Thanks to its location and exceptionally low light pollution, the village is also home to a long-established astronomical observatory, which has been active for years and collaborates with the Italian Union of Amateur Astronomers.