Castello di Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore's castle occupies the ridge between the village's two valleys. Begun around 1260 by the Turcotti marquises and completed under Genoese rule, it later served as a cemetery before restoration returned it to civic cultural use.

Why it matters

Riomaggiore's castle condenses the village's political history: an early stronghold attributed to local feudal lords, a later rebuilding under the Republic of Genoa, and a Napoleonic-era conversion into a cemetery. Its position on the ridge between the Rio Maggiore and Rio Finale valleys reveals the strategic geography of the settlement.

What to notice

The castle is a compact quadrangular structure anchored by two round towers, one of which contains a clock. Its severe stonework reflects its military origins. The fortification occupies a spur above the terraced slopes, while the Oratorio dei Santi Rocco e Sebastiano stands beside its walls.

Context and history

A first defensive building was established around 1260 on a site known as the castellazzo near the Colle di Cerricò, commissioned by the Turcotti marquises, lords of Ripalta in the Vara valley. After the lordship of Count Nicolò Fieschi, Genoa took control and completed the present castle between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, integrating it into the coastal watch system. Under Napoleonic rule the interior was filled with earth and converted into the village cemetery. A restoration at the end of the twentieth century returned the building to civic cultural use.