Zignago in Italy | Province of La Spezia, Liguria
Visit the beautiful village of Zignago in Liguria, Italy which is located in the Vara Valley.
Zignago
Ligurian charm and artefacts from the Stone Age
Zignago is a mountain village in the Vara valley with narrow lanes, stone houses and fizzling springs surrounded by chestnut woods
Travel tips
The ancient church of San Pietro Apostolo.
Other villages that belong to the municipality are: Vezzola where artefacts of Stone Age men were made, Debbio from where one has a lovely look over the Vara valley and Lunigiana, Sasseta and Imara, a small village in the middle of chestnut woods. Others are Valgiuncata with the "del marchese" tower house, Torpiana, the largest of the 8 villages, whose multi-colored houses exhibit typical ligurian charm, and Serò with its narrow lanes and numerous stone houses.
Festa della cultura contadina which takes place in August is a farmer’s market in Vezzanelli with products from the region.
History
The main town is called Pieve and is at the same time the headquarters of the municipality.
Due to the many sources, the name of the town is traced back to the word"Zignègu", which in the local dialect means something like "people who reside near water”.
The area was originally known by the name “Cornia”; it was the boundary between the Langobards and the Byzantines. It became one of the fiefdoms of the Lords of Vezzano who built a castle in Zignago and later transferred it to the town of Pontremoli, and so it came into the hands of the Fieschi Lavagna noble family. In 1273 it became part of the sovereign territories of the Republic for Genoa, way before other regions of Val di Vara.
Like other regions too under the rule of the Genoan Republic, Zignago followed the destiny of historical events like the Austrian invasion in 1747 and the accession to power by Napoleon Bonaparte in France in 1797.
How to reach
From the A12 highway you take the exit to Brugnato – Borghetto, then follow the SP 7 and from Rocchetta di Vara change to the SP5.
Zignago is 20 km north of La Spezia and 632 m above sea-level. The municipality of Zignago is located in the upper Vara valley and boasts of several mountains like the Monte Dargnone and Monte Zignago as well as 8 villages and an extensive valley.
