Castel Gavone

On the ridge above Finalborgo stand the ruins of Castel Gavone, once the fortified seat of the Del Carretto marquises. Its best-known surviving feature is the Torre dei Diamanti, built around 1490 with distinctive diamond-point stonework.

Why it matters

Castel Gavone was the principal residence of the lords of Finale. From its ridge, the castle commanded the walled borgo below and the corridor between the coast and inland passes. The Torre dei Diamanti is a rare Renaissance work in western Liguria, its faceted masonry a striking contrast with the castle's remaining walls and foundations.

What to notice

The tower, attributed to Alfonso I Del Carretto, takes its name from the diamond-shaped points of its rusticated blocks in local Pietra di Finale. Its architect is unknown, though the sharp faceting recalls designs associated with Francesco di Giorgio Martini. The tower was already named in a document of 1557. Inside, a spiral staircase once connected the floors, and fragments of sixteenth-century frescoes with mythological scenes survive. Around the tower, the castle's low walls, cisterns and room foundations spread across the ridge.

Context and history

Genoa destroyed an earlier castle here in 1450, at the end of the War of Finale, and Giovanni I rebuilt the stronghold as the dynasty's principal seat. In 1602 the marquisate passed under Spanish protection. When Genoa took over Finale in 1715, it dismantled Castel Gavone but left the shell of the Torre dei Diamanti standing after demolishing its inner vaults. Restoration in recent decades has stabilised the tower and exposed the archaeological remains around it.