The Arroscia valley is between Piedmont and Liguria and is one of the most famous in Liguria.The valley is formed by many countries: Pieve di Teco, main town of the Arroscia valley, is a trade center always very important.

1. THE ARROSCIA VALLEY
The Arroscia valley is between Piedmont and Liguria and is one of the
most famous in Liguria.The valley is formed by many countries: Pieve di
Teco, main town of the Arroscia valley, is a trade center always very
important. Known over the years for its paper mill and tanneries
(renowned for their mountain shoes), Pieve di Teco associates these
activities with an exquisite production of cheeses and wines (Dolcetto and
Pigato), as well as a typical bran bread oven cooked with wood. The heart
of the medieval village is in Corso Ponzoni, the street sided by large
porticoes, in which the handicraft stores run in alternation with the
sculptured portals of the ancient palaces. Slightly farther on, the
Augustinian convent (1478) encloses an evocative cloister with octagonal
columns. The grandiose collegiate of San Giovanni Battista is, instead, an
art gallery with its masters paintings. In the plain from the town, along
the river Arroscia, there is an interesting complex formed by an oil mill, a
bridge of medieval origin and the Largo dellaForca, a placed destined in
the old days to capital executions. Most remarkable local gastronomy
specialties are "focacce" vegetable pies and stuffed codfish. At a short
distance from Pieve, there is the rural village of Cenova, famous since the
Middle Ages for is stone processing, and Rezzo with the remains of its old
castle, its woods and its fresh water fish specialties. Going up the
mountain, through chestnut groves and then beech woods, one reaches
the panoramic pass of the Teglia, the passage towards the nearby
Argentina valley.

2. After leaving Pieve di Teco, going up the Colle di Nava, the road ascends
passing through hard rocks and beech woods, towards the upper Arroscia
valley in an enchanting succession of alpine landscapes, scattered by
villages rich of history and tradition. The air becomes gradually thinner
and more biting. Here, at a short distance from the sea, in the bordering
territory between Liguria and Piedmont, Italy and France, covered with
snow in winter and cool in summer, the vacationer, tired of the lively
noise of the coast, is offered an overwhelming scenery and silence.
Furthermore, in summertime, the blooming lavender gives an intense
light blue color to the slopes, dominated by a suggestive system of
fortresses. Crossroad of the pass is Nava, famous also for its production of
excellent honey. From here a panoramic road with lush vegetation runs
on the divide between Tanaro and Arroscia to reach the skiing center of
Monesi. Following this itinerary one meets also the town of San Bernardo
di Mendatica, wherefrom a formerly military road, through the Garezzo

3. pass, continues as far as Mount Saccarello (on the top at 2,200 m the
monument to the Redeemer). All the localities of the valley, anyhow, are
worth visiting: Cosiod'Arroscia is an alpine village among the most
interesting ones of the upper valley, with its clear stone architecture,
covered passageways and narrow shady alleys; Pornassio, with the
hamlets Case Rosse, Ponti, Villa and San Luigi, situated on the old "Strada
del Sale" (Salt road) supply the best sampling of the renowned Ormeasco
and Schiacchetra wines.
Once here, a stop must be made at the sixteenth century castle and the
parish church of San Dalmazzo, with its romanesque bell tower and its
fifteenth century frontal, lunette frescoed and polyptych by Giovanni
Canavesio. Not too far away, on a smooth slope, stands Mendatica,
dominated by the grandiose parish church. From its center, taking a steep
mule track, one can reach the small church of Santa Margherita, located
on a rocky spur over a precipice. Furthermore, one must not give up
making an excursion that takes a path through beech and maple woods,
from Mendatica to the water falls of Arroscia, to admire in spring the
suggestive and extraordinary show of the sources of the river in flood. At
last, at MontegrossoPian Latte, the cusp of the bell tower of the Assunta
church, with its brick arches on rustic stones, is the counterpoise to the
eighteenth century church of San Biagio, designed and realized by
Giacomo Filippo Marvaldi.

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