Riccò del Golfo

In Riccò del Golfo, history and religiosity revive among the baroque vaults of the parish church dedicated to Santa Croce. Built during the second half of 1400, on the basis of a pre-existing building, inside it houses works of great value, the most important of which are some polychrome marble bas-reliefs representing the Purgatory Souls.

In the agricultural area in the hamlet of Carpena, dating back to the establishment of the podesteria of La Spezia in 1343, and some bloody events that followed, waiting to be photographed the remains of a ruined castle, of which today you can visit the very few ruins as a result of complete destruction; remains a bit of walls and the base of the tower. The remains are affected by the intervention of the perimeter area, moreover, recent archaeological excavations have brought to light even earlier materials and jewelry, which suggest the presence of a native castle, perhaps even more dated.

The Sanctuary of Nostra Signora dell’Agostina, not far from Valpidino and Casella, has a fine workmanship: it owes its name to Madam Agostina Mazaschi, a local woman whose fortune was to inherit the land where the complex stands, therefore isolated, and its chestnut grove. Agostina, at first, asks to build a small oratory dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto, because in the chestnut wood happened to find a miraculous icon, capable, it is said, to move, and depicting the Madonna. Blessed by the influx of pilgrims, the site grew in beauty after the arrival of the brotherhood of San Michele, and thanks to the work of the friars took on the dimensions of today. On the jambs, looking at the sandstone portal, we can see the symbol of a plant identifiable in the chestnut tree, in memory of the Marian apparition. Celebrations in honor of Santa Croce in May, authentic exaltation of the flavors of the past, between tasting of typical products and exhibition of various goods and farm animals.